


Perfectly Lovable

by Potatogirrrl



Series: Baby Steps [2]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Adoption, Adorable, Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, Dorks in Love, Established Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Parenthood, Parents Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Past Child Abuse, VictUuri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-11-09 21:25:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 43,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11113176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Potatogirrrl/pseuds/Potatogirrrl
Summary: This is the story of the married life of Yuuri and Viktor Katsuki-Nikiforov and their journey towards parenthood. It seems the time has come to extend their family but the road is more bumpy than they expected - not that a few obstacles would ever stop them. Parenthood requires love, not DNA.





	1. First meetings

"We're back, Yuu~ri!" Viktor's voice was loud and clear and as soon as he stopped talking, a bark could be heard, which made the called man smile and get up from the sofa where he has been reading an article on his phone. He got up, hurrying to greet his husband and was surprised by strong arms that enveloped him, pulling him into a tight hug. "I've missed you, solnyshko" Yuuri chuckled at the silly comment but raised his face so he could press his lips on the Russian's, one hand resting on his neck.

"You've been gone for half an hour" Viktor pouted, earning another peck before they parted so he could take his shoes off.

"30 full minutes!" The younger man rolled his eyes, taking Sakakibara by his leash and guiding him towards the bathroom, where he lifted him so he could place him inside the bath tub and make sure he was clean from the walk outside. Saka was still a pup so he needed a lot of training before he ended up a well-behaved dog but he was rather receptive and a sweetheart so it was simple. When Makkachin passed away more than an year ago, Viktor was crushed and after a long period of healing, they decided that taking another dog in was the best they could do to chase away the loneliness and Yuuri looked everywhere for a shelter which had a poodle. And that's where he found this little pup, which they took without second thought, wanting nothing less but to give him a happy life. "Can you order the food?"

Yuuri was usually cooking because Viktor was an absolute disaster in the kitchen but today he simply didn't feel like it so they decided on take out. He washed the dog gently, praising him from time to time and after he was done he wrapped him in his towel and rubbed his curly fur, making him bark jolly. Most days were like this - serene, with nothing else but domestic bliss. Yuuri just retired at 30 and they were both doing their best to cope with this because Viktor gave up coaching too when this happened. They weren't really sure what they were to do because skating was all they've been thinking of all their lives so they decided to take a year off and think about it, trying to adjust to a normal life, out of the spotlight. It was sometimes hard because they still woke up early in the morning for runs and it was difficult to accept the fact that they won't compete ever again. They were feeling uneasy but they knew that as long as they were together they could face anything so they enjoyed the little things that they couldn't enjoy fully while they were competing - they were having a lot more dates, trying new things, at some point they even tried to go to cooking classes together but decided to give up after Viktor almost burnt the building.

Yuuri entered the living room holding the pup and smiled at the sight of his husband lazing on the couch, his messy hair spilled all over a pillow. Viktor was beautiful, not a day older, just as expected so he couldn't help himself and went closer to sit by his side and press a long kiss to his forehead. The man grinned and didn't let him go until they kissed properly, which made both of them chuckle. They had pizza and after dinner they decided to watch a movie, an old one, with Bette Davis.

"Love?" Yuuri looked up to see what was wrong and figured out immediately that there was something troubling Viktor.

"My manager called me today" The brunet raised a brow, curious. "He has a job for me but it's in the States" They were still public figures, of course, and the press didn't want to let go so easily of their beloved star, Viktor Nikiforov so he was sometimes asked to do interviews or to participate in shows, even act in commercials. Yuuri never minded those, after all, he was Viktor's fan just as much as the next person and he loved to see his husband on the screen. He was proud of him.

"What kind of job?"

"There is an orphanage they want me to help"

"So it's charity" Viktor nodded and Yuuri smiled because it was a very nice idea. "And how will you do that?"

"They want me to teach the kids how to skate" But that meant he was going to stay in the states for more than just a few days and he didn't want to go alone. He hated to be apart from his Yuuri. "Will you come with me?" The Japanese nodded without a second thought and the older man exhaled, relieved.

"Did you really think I would say no?" He chuckled and Viktor faked a hurt expression.

"You're so mean, Yuu~ri!" He forgot all about that as soon as he was hugged and rested his head on his lover's shoulder, taking in the sweet smell. They were to leave two weeks later and they were fairly pleased that they were going to Detroit because that was where Yuuri went for college so he still knew his way around and that was rather helpful. Everyone was already talking about this new charitable project the Katsuki-Nikiforovs were involved in but there were some nasty headlines too - like those who were saying they were doing this because they wanted attention.

They arrived in Detroit at the beginning of March, after they attended Yurio's birthday party. He was rather pissed now, that they both retired but Otabek was catching up and even if they were a couple now, he wouldn't let him win without a fight. It was warm outside and the city was welcoming, it had a very different air compared to St. Peterburg. They were to stay there for a whole week so they asked Yakov to sit their pup, which he accepted, even if he was terrified of taking care of such an active and small little thing. The hotel was luxurious and close to the orphanage and after a day of visiting they went to meet the entire team who was responsible for this job. It was simple, they had to meet the workers there, the children and then teach them a few basic steps of skating. There was a photoshoot too, so they could advertise the place and they were explained that having a gay couple encouraging adoption was very favorable.

"Mr. Katsuki-Nikiforov!" They were greeted by a very nice old woman who shook Yuuri's hand first, before turning towards Viktor. "Mr. Katsuki-Nikiforov!" It was rather funny that they were both called the same but they loved the ring to it. "Thank you so much for accepting to help us"

"It's our pleasure entirely" Yuuri spoke English a lot better than Viktor, strictly because he spent a few years of his life in America and he was admired by everyone for that. They had a tour of the place - it was well kept, even if filled with quite a few friendly children that were staring at them curiously and the building seemed humongous. They were on the first floor when they saw a little boy peeking at them behind a big door and Yuuri waved at him, smiling when he saw him hiding. It was a constant game of hide and seek because they were all wondering who they were but shy at the same time and they did their best, meeting as many as they could and even playing with some outgoing ones.

"I think I can teach those who are about 6 or older" Viktor said in the end and the principal nodded, realising it was dangerous for the other.

"We talked with the director of the rink that it's closest to this address" Yuuri continued and the woman noted down the name of the rink and the street that was written on his phone. No one was really surprised when they saw the Japanese was involving himself just as much as his husband and by the end of the project they got really attached to the children. They wanted to spend as much time together so they would treat them to lunch and ice-cream, even organising some trips to the fair or to different attractions of the town. Yuuri fell in love all over again, watching his husband interact with the children every day and observing the great care with which he watched over them. He was overprotective, panicking whenever one of them fell on the ice and the younger man couldn't help but chuckle and help him out, consoling him whenever it was the case.

For Viktor everything resonated as a personal note. The Russian knew how it was to be unfortunate because of your family and he was conscious that if Yakov wouldn't have taken him in he would have ended in one of these places too and God knows what would have happened to his life. So he wanted to give them as much happiness as he could and with the support of his husband they decided to sign a check so they could renovate one wing of the building and they bought a lot of toys because the kids definitely could use some more. They were all very cute in their own way so by the end of the project they felt pretty sad when they had to leave but they decided to support the place even form Russia.

Once they got home the melancholy took over them. They were happy to see Saka again and they planned as many meetings with the Russian team as they could but the first week they kept talking about the children, especially when they saw the project on TV.

The truth was that Yuuri's mind has been clouded by an idea ever since they were in Detroit. Seeing Viktor with children made him think about their relationship and their family. They have been married for 5 years now and he didn't remember ever taking parenting seriously – if they ever talked about children, it was briefly and they were always talking about sometime in the undetermined future. Having the occasion to watch Viktor as a teacher, tending for little ones, triggered all kind of feelings inside him and he spent many nights thinking how it would be for them to have a child of their own. They were retired now, it was the perfect time to and he wanted to share this with Viktor, he wanted to have a real family, a child whom he could surround with love and happiness. But he had no idea if his husband wanted that too.

He was tired of sleepless nights he would spend thinking about this, he knew he needed to discuss this. So one night, when they were lying in bed, Yuuri on his phone, his head in Viktor's lap as the lattest was reading one of his old and endless novels, he decided to speak. He was enjoying the gentle caresses of the Russian's fingers so he closed his eyes and tried to calm his fast heartbeat.

"Vitya?"

"Hmm?" He left aside the book and looked down with a sweet smile. Even after all the years spent together he was still smitten and he could barely resist his lover so he bent to press a soft kiss on the parted lips. "What's the matter, solnyshko?" Yuuri grinned because he loved the pet names but his heart was still beating wildly inside his chest.

"I was wondering..." He stopped and Viktor waited patiently so he could find his words. "If you..." He gulped and at the distressed expression the Russian found his hand on the bed and brought it to his lips to kiss it. Their communication got a lot better than it was in the beginning so it must have been something pretty serious if Yuuri was acting like this.

"Talk to me, lyubov moya"

"Have you thought about expanding our family?" The words were spoken very fast so it took a few seconds for Viktor to process them and his blues widened in surprise. It was clear he was not talking about another puppy.

"You want a child?"

"No, I want a child with you" That shy smile made the pale-haired man's heart skip a beat. "But I understand if you don't want to. I don't think we will ever feel fully ready for this but I want to do this with you – I know we can pull it off."

"A baby, Yuuri?" Viktor asked, his lips pressed in a soft smile as the back of his hand was brushing his lover's cheek. Yuuri got up and nodded, looking straight into icy blue orbs. "I would love to have a baby with you but I'm so scared of being bad at this."

"I am too but we can be scared together." The Japanese smiled and leaned to press a soft kiss on his mouth. "I am sure you will be the best father in the whole world"

"We'll be two, then" He grinned and wrapped his arms around his body, pulling him closer so now he was in his lap, their foreheads touching. "I love you so much"

"I love you too, Vitya" He promised and their lips met fervently, as a promise for what was to follow. After a few moments they parted breathless and Yuuri pressed a soft kiss to his husband's cheek. "Have you ever thought about it? Would you like to adopt or have a surrogate mother?" Viktor frowned.

"I'd love to have a baby with our DNA, Yuu~ri."

"But?" He knew this wasn't the conclusion.

"But there are so many unfortunate children who are perfectly lovable and in need of parents. And I don't want to involve a third person in this decision. I think I would want to adopt, is that okay?"

"Of course it is." Yuuri whispered encouraging, running his fingers through silver strands of hair. "I was thinking about adoption too." The other nodded and nuzzled his cheek lovingly. He was glad they were on the same page on this because it was important. Viktor brought their linked hands to his chest where the brunet could feel clearly just how nervous he was too – of course they would meet halfway, as always.

The next days they talked some more about it and they decided they weren't looking for a specific gender or age range. They couldn't adopt from Russia or Japan so one day they realised Detroit was a perfect choice, after all, they were legally married in the States too. They called the orphanage and announced their intentions beforehand and booked their flight for one of the following weeks, decided they needed some more time to think about it. Having a child was not something they could treat superficially and as determined as Yuuri was, he wanted to make sure Viktor wouldn't panic at the thought and surprisingly, instead of spending all day freaking out he began reading parenting books.

He's been dumbfounded when he walked in the apartment holding their groceries and found Vitya in the living room, surrounded by books about how to be a good parent or how to deal with toddlers or teenagers. He melted at the sight and left everything behind so he could cover his husband in kisses. Of course it would be scary at first but he knew they were ready.

That morning started way early because they were both nervous and couldn't sleep. They landed a day before and fell asleep almost as soon as they entered the hotel room but at 5 AM they were shifting in the king-sized bed. When Viktor rested his head on his back, Yuuri knew he was awake too.

"Vitya?"

"Good morning, zoloste" Viktor whispered and leaned so he could kiss his ear.

"Morning" He mumbled and turned around, burying his face in his chest. "Are you as nervous as I am?" The man nodded and they both chuckled because they were silly. "I guess it's normal"

"Of course it is"

Entering the orphanage was a lot different this time because their purpose was different. They were holding hands tighter than ever as they were guided towards the office where there was a pile of papers on the desk.

"Welcome back!" Mrs. Graham said cheerfully. "I can say I was overly enthusiastic when I heard your intentions" They both smiled and Viktor did all the small talk before the women informed them about the few children that were adopted meanwhile and the few that were brought. Most parents wanted babies so the older children were rarely adopted but they didn't exclude the possibility. "Do you have someone in mind?"

"Not really" Viktor chirped, nervous.

"You're free to go and meet them again" The old woman grinned and they nodded, deciding to do that. She followed them and answered their every question. They were all cuties so it was really hard but once they sat on the old sofa in one of the playrooms there was something that caught Yuuri's eyes. It was a small curly head, barely peaking from behind of an armchair. He was curious because he was sure he had no idea who that was so he got up and stepped in that direction, surprised at the sight of a small little girl who was playing with an old and ragged white stuffed bunny. As soon as she saw him he pressed her back harder against the armrest as if she wanted to hide.

"Hello" He whispered carefully and the little girl looked up, showing him the most striking ocean blue eyes. She had a messy hair that was reaching her shoulder blades and she looked skinny and pale so he wondered if she was sick. "My name is Yuuri" He said gently but he got no answer.

"Yuuri?" Viktor's voice was curious so he turned around and smiled assuring him it was alright.

"You have a very pretty bunny there" He continued and tried to touch the toy but he couldn't because the girl hid it behind her back. "I just wanted to pet him" He smiled and after thinking for a moment she offered it to him, so he could pet it's head. "He's cute" She offered him a small smile but still didn't get a sound out. "What's your name?" No answer.

Viktor wanted to see what was going on so he got up from the sofa and went closer to his husband, his eyes following the interaction surprised. He watched the little girl surprised and as soon as he stopped next to Yuuri, her eyes fell on him and she started crying, big tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Hey, hey, I'm sorry" He whispered but it was useless so Yuuri felt the need to intervene.

"He's Viktor, my husband" He said gently but the girl was already lost and as soon as the brunet touched her she wailed harder, scaring both of them. "I promise you he is very nice" Yuuri tried, knowing he should keep his calm, even if it was hard to do so when a toddler was crying hysterically in front of him.

Mrs. Graham came closer with a guilty expression and placed a hand on Viktor's shoulder, as if she was trying to apologise for the child's behaviour.

"Come here" Yuuri whispered instinctively and surprisingly enough the little girl dropped her bunny and hurried towards his expectant arms, burying her face in his chest while she continued to sob. "There, there" He continued and rubbed her back, turning to Viktor to smile sympathetically. His husband's expression was a mix between confusion and worry but as soon as he saw she was calming down he exhaled loudly, relieved.

"I am so sorry" Mrs. Graham tried and they both turned towards the frowning woman. "She's a rather special case, a troubled child" Troubled child was something you could say about a teen, not a toddler but as much as they both wanted to know what she meant they decided it was not alright to talk about it in front of the children about it. "Lola is new here, she was brought here by the CPS* a couple of weeks ago but we think of sending her away to a more capable institution." That made Viktor flinch, surprised by the easiness with which the woman was talking about something that could completely change the girl's future.

"Why?" He simply asked, blinking confused.

"The personnel struggle with the smallest things – she would refuse to let people touch her. I am truly surprised that she let Mr. Katsuki-Nikiforov lay a finger on her." She smiled kindly and Yuuri looked down at the now spent child who was still sniffling, her breathing hitched.

"We're friends, aren't we, Lola?" Yuuri whispered but was not surprised when the girl didn't speak but simply peeked up at him. "Do you want to say hi to Viktor too?" At that she shook her head but looked at the silver-haired man a bit curious, knowing there was nothing that he could do when the nice man was holding her. "Then shall we go and see your bed and toys?"

Viktor nodded and sighed because his fingers were itching with the need to comfort the little girl. She was dressed in a dress that seemed too big for her, made of red velvet and she was wearing white socks with light blue dots on them, her little feet covered thoroughly.

"Can we?" The Japanese asked Mrs. Graham who nodded, her expression suggesting that she was doubting their judgement. Yuuri got up but as soon as he did that, the girl began to fuss and his brain found the reason right away. "The bunny" He whispered to Viktor who grabbed the almost destroyed toy, offering it to her. It had a missing eye and one ear was almost completely ripped off so he felt his heart aching when she hugged it close to her still-trembling frame.

"That's a good girl" He smiled gently and they followed the woman towards Lola's room, which was on the first floor, where all the children who were not over ten were staying. She had one of the three small beds inside the room and hers was plain, compared to the other two. She had no toy on it, there were only white sheets and there was a small suitcase placed near it, one with a faded Minnie Mouse on it.

"That's yours?" Yuuri asked and when she nodded, he gulped, saddened by the sight. "That's very pretty, Lo" His hand rubbed her small back gently and soon her eyes widened because she was supposed to let go of the nice man now.

"I could give you more details about her if you want" Mrs. Graham said and for her surprise, it was Viktor who expressed his want. "It would be better if we would talk in my office"

Yuuri realised what he must do so he sat on the bed and slowly unwrapped his arms from her. She got the message right away and climbed off his lap, as if she knew that was what she was supposed to do and rested her back against the cold wall, watching the three people who were still looking at her.

"We'll go and talk to Mrs. Graham now" Viktor said, kneeling by the bed so he could look her in the eye. "We'll see you later, okay?" She nodded, hesitantly, her stare frozen on him and Yuuri ran his fingers through her hair gently, making sure her eyes were uncovered.

"Bye bye, Lola" He whispered and smiled at her before getting up and grabbing Viktor's hand. They felt sad for needing to leave her behind but they had no idea what kind of conversation was going to follow and they needed to talk about everything too. It was clear they both got attached but that didn't mean they could simply decide on that.

Inside the office they were asked if they wanted coffee but refused.

"How long are you staying?"

"We booked a flight for next week" It took a while to adopt a child but being a public figure had its perks and it was the first time they wanted to take advantage of this. They weren't willing to leave disappointed. The old lady opened one of the many drawers seated next to the door and after taking her time searching for something, she offered them a huge envelope.

"This is her file, you can bring it back later this week" She smiled and sat in her imposing chair. "She's been through a lot and I think you should read it before considering her"

Viktor grabbed the yellowish envelope, holding it tightly between his fingers. He looked over at Yuuri who smiled encouraging and smiled back, assuring.

"Can we come back tomorrow too?"

"Of course, our door is always opened for you, especially after all you've done to help us." They smiled politely and then exchanged glares, both agreeing it was time for them to leave so they could have the important talk.

 


	2. Butterflies

The atmosphere was heavy – the room vibrated with tension and all they could do was to stare at the cause of their problems. The suite they were staying in was rather big, mostly because Viktor wouldn't have it any other way and Yuuri suddenly felt small and scared, unsure of how he was supposed to act. The truth was that he was deadly curious about what happened to that little girl but they also didn't properly talk about the situation, the only thing they were sure about was the fact that they both felt something for her, something crazily strong for a first meeting. So now they were stuck, the file dominating the surroundings while they were curled on the sofa, their limbs tangling.

"I will open it" Viktor finally concluded and grabbed the yellowish envelope from the coffee table v where their two cups of tea were placed. Yuuri tensed, his entire body going rigid when the papers were brought to the light and he could see a few pictures of Lola, a numb expression on her lovely face. She was very beautiful, nevermind the circumstances but it was painful to see a toddler so serious. "Do you want me to read it out loud?"

"Please" The younger man whispered and leaned so he could see the words himself.

"Born in Lakewood, California on 12th April, age: 3 years old" His voice was unsure, partly because English was not his favourite language and partly because he was nervous. "Taken by the Child Protection Services on 28th December 2016" They took turns in reading because at one point it was too much for Viktor to handle.

The file spilled every drop of information – the girl's father was unknown, she has been living with her mother and her many abusive lovers that sometimes let go of their anger on her. The CPS tried various times to take the child but it only became possible when they found illegal substances in the apartment after some neighbours complained about the girl crying a couple of days in a row without stopping. When they took her in she was malnourished and terribly scared by all men who came near her. She expressly feared tall men with blue eyes because that fit the image of her mother's last man.

"That's why she was so afraid of me" Viktor said and Yuuri placed a hand on his when he saw how the man started to tremble. "This is horrible" The pictures were indeed terrible, the bruises on her body were not small but beyond that they were sure a greater trauma stood. "Who could do this to a child, Yuuri? She's not even four!" The anger was clear in his voice so the Japanese wrapped his arms around his shoulders and pulled him in a hug, kissing his forehead.

"They're not human" He assured and sighed. "I- Oh my God she must be so scared"

"She's only a baby!" Viktor's voice was bitter but even like that, he kept looking at the pictures of the small apartment she was found in, shocked that anyone could live like that. It was dirty and it seemed anything but child friendly.

"And they want to send her away"

Quietness followed – and it seemed like forever until one of them spoke.

"Not if we step in" Brown eyes widened at the words and the owner gasped because he wasn't expecting this. Of course they were interested because otherwise they wouldn't have taken the file but it was not that simple and raising a girl who was afraid of men and who seemed absolutely reluctant when it came to Viktor was almost unrealistic. "I- I felt something when I saw her with you, even when she started crying, all I could think about was how much I wanted to soothe her."

"We'll see her again tomorrow"

"Maybe we should take her somewhere, I am sure they will let us take her for the evening" Yuuri frowned.

"I think we should stay there tomorrow and see how she reacts and then think of more" Viktor nodded and finally put aside the papers, his arms immediately searching for his husband, whom they enveloped lovingly. He kissed his forehead and inhaled as if he just ran a marathon. "Maybe we can buy something for her tomorrow"

"Uh-uh" Another kiss followed, this one on the cheek. "You're so good with children, Yuu~ri. I love you so much"

A smile spread on the younger man's lips.

"I love you too, Vitya" He yawned and nuzzled the neck close to him. Cuddling always calmed him down so he felt his body relaxing, even if his mind was still running wild.

"Sleepy, zoloste?" The brunet nodded and yelped surprised when he was lifted in strong arms and was forced to wrap his arms around Viktor's neck, making sure he wouldn't lose his balance.

"Viktor! Put me down!" It was futile and only when they reached the bed was he released. The bed was soft and comfy so he gave up on complaining and felt gratitude towards his previous idea of dressing in pjs as soon as they got home. He was tired, he could still feel the tiredness caused by the flight and the emotional rollercoaster was too much for his poor body. He tried to keep his anxiety at a normal pace but it was near to impossible because they were gonna take one of the most important decisions of their lives.

He shut his eyes shut and didn't move when the mattress moved under him and a blanket covered him and he snuggled closer to the warm body beside him, burying his face in the strong chest covered by cotton.

"Sleep tight, love" The Russian whispered and was rewarded with a kiss on his neck that he knew it was meant to be a reply to his words. He was beyond tired but he fell asleep a lot later, when his husband's breathing became regular; he tried to concentrate on the soothing heartbeat close to his ear but all he could think about was how scared he was of what was going to follow – what if they weren't ready for this? What if he was going to be an awful father and an even worse role model for his child? What if...? What if...?

He couldn't stand it anymore so he sneaked out of the bed, trying his best to move smoothly because Viktor was a light sleeper, unlike himself who could barely be woken up in the morning. He searched through one of their bags for some pills he usually took for his anxiety and when he finally found them he went to fill a glass of water. His feet felt cold on the rug and he closed his eyes, trying to stay focused on something and not lose himself but it became harder and harder with each second, until it finally hit him like a train and he started shaking. Of course he would be anything but good as a father – he couldn't even take care of himself, let alone another human being, not to say a troubled child. He felt the walls closing on him and he grasped the sink with both hands, so tightly that his knuckles turned white and he realised he couldn't feel his lower lip.

"Yuuri?" A sleepy voice was all he needed to tense even further – now he troubled Viktor too. Even after all these years he couldn't accept the fact that someone would put with his "episodes" willingly, that he wasn't a nuisance. The older man realised immediately what was going on and hurried to wrap his arms around the trembling frame, pulling Yuuri's back to his front and leaning so he could whisper in his ear. "Focus on my voice, love" His hands slid down the other's arms until they reached the painful hold and did his best until he forced the fingers to unclasp from the cold surface and grab his instead. "You're fine, perfect even" His voice was calm and calculated – he did his best to learn how to act so he could help his lover and it was clear how seriously he took his job for he researched a lot. "I love you, solnyshko and we're both gonna be fine, I promise" He continued to whisper sweet words into his ear until he completely gave in, his breathing evening and his body falling on his like a rag doll. "That's it" He cooed and Yuuri used his last ounces of strength to turn around and try not to cry.

"V-Vitya"

"I know, I know" He assured and kissed his head. "It's okay, let's go to sleep or do you need some water?" The nod made him fill another glass and place it to his husband's lips, patiently waiting until he drained it. "Do you think you can sleep now or would you rather we do something else" By the way he hesitated the Russian already understood that he couldn't sleep so he slowly moved him towards their bed where they snuggled against the new-built pile of pillows. "TV?"

"Yes"

So he turned it on but he knew neither of them was paying any attention to the commercials playing, instead they were focusing one on another, on the way they smelled, on the warmth of their touch. They were a messy pair of tangled limbs when they fell asleep and they didn't bother to close the muted TV, the night too heavy on them. In the morning, Yuuri got up first and ordered some room service so when Viktor woke up he was lured by the amazing smell towards the little feast.

"Good morning, Vitya!"

"Morning, lyubov moya!" His voice was hoarse but he didn't hesitate to go closer and kiss his husband sweetly before he was offered a plate filled with waffles. "Thank you" He knew that after an anxiety attack he was supposed to be careful but it was obvious Yuuri was doing his best to surpass the moment so he didn't insist on it, promising to himself he was going to be a breath away if he was going to be needed. After all, he vowed he will be – for the rest of his life.

They decided to go shopping before heading towards the orphanage and ended up buying a lot more sweets than intended, not that it was a problem because there were a lot of children there. For Lola they ended up buying a stuffed and pale pink teddybear that was just the perfect size for her. She truly needed a lot more toys because the image of that empty bed broke their hearts whenever they thought about it. When they arrived they asked some people to come and help with the industrial quantities of sweets and were greeted right away by Miss Graham who seemed pleasantly surprised.

"Good evening!" They replied politely and were invited in the small office that now was familiar. "I see you're really settled on adopting"

"Of course – we would never joke around with something this important." Yuuri assured and Viktor nodded, their hands linked on his thigh.

"Have you read the file?"

"We did" The pale-haired man said and the woman's brows furrowed above her thick glasses.

"And changed your mind, I presume"

"You presume wrongly, then" Viktor answered curtly, feeling a little irritated that they were thought to be so superficial. He, from all the people out there, knew how it was to be an outcast as a child so there was no way he could give up so easily on his instinct and leave the girl behind. "Can her mother contact her?"

"Unfortunately, her mother was sent to a rehabilitation institute and we have no idea what happened to her but she gave no sign of wanting to reach the girl" So cruel – oh, did Viktor know the coldness of such a mother. These were the women who abandoned children without a second thought, children they didn't wish for in the first place.

"So there is no danger –" Yuuri started.

"Of course not, Mr. Katsuki-Nikiforov, she was absolved of any motherly rights, legal ones too"

"When can we see her?"

"Whenever you want to, there's no doubt" They decided they wanted right then so they took the route to the first floor and opened the door carefully after they've been warned by a 10-something year old girl that there were people sleeping in there. In fact, Lola was the only one sleeping and Yuuri squeezed his husband's hand tightly at the innocent sight as soon as they stepped closer. She was sleeping on her back, head to a side and her little fist close to her parted lips. Her tummy was rising and falling in time with her breathing and she looked absolutely adorable with her messy caramel hair falling all over. There were a few more girls playing quietly on the ground so they waved at them – of course she would nap at noon, she was a toddler after all.

"We should wait outside" Yuuri suggested, so they wouldn't wake her up but in less than 10 seconds she began to squirm and they ended up holding their breaths.

"She wakes up" Viktor chirped and Yuuri grinned at the panic but bent when he saw the little girl blinked her eyes opened and got up almost instantly, looking somewhat confused. He expected a worse reaction so he sat on the edge and ran his fingers through the sweaty curls.

"Wakey wakey, sleepy head" He whispered and she leaned into the touch without a sound.

"Did you have a nice nap, princess?" Viktor bent to look at her and her body tensed without reason, making both men sigh. "It's okay, I won't do anything to you" He promised and Yuuri grabbed his hand, knowing it was yearning for something to hold. Lola looked at the linked fingers a bit confused and then grabbed her used-up bunny. "We have a present for you"

They had the bear wrapped up just like a present so she looked at it with wide eyes.

"It's for you" Yuuri offered it to her and she took it, unsure of what she was supposed to do with it. "Do you want me to help?"She nodded so he tore the paper open before offering it to her. She picked it and smiled a bit as she hugged it to her chest and placed it on the pillow.

"Do you like it?"

"Yes" It was the first time she spoke and her voice sounded like ringing bells so they were taken aback a bit.

"We're happy, then. Do you want to take a walk with us?" She nodded and struggled to get off the bed after tugging at her pants. Her clothes, once again, were too large but she seemed to be used to them. They realised she had no idea when she was doing when she put on a sock inside out and grabbed the wrong shoe. "Wait, I will help you" Viktor whispered kindly and undressed the white foot so he could place the sock properly and then grabbed the shoe and made sure it was in place. The next one followed and as he did so, she clung to the brunet's arms tightly, as if she was expecting something bad at any time – but nothing happened and she found herself in the arms of her favourite of the two, because they weren't trusting her to climb down the stairs alone.

Once they reached the green yard they saw children were looking curiously at them so they waved and continued their walk.

"Do you like walks, Lo?" She nodded and the Japanese smiled, grabbing his husband's awaiting hand while the child walked in front of them. When she saw that she stopped, her brows furrowing as she pointed at their hold.

"Why?"

"Because we like to hold hands" By the look on her face, she wasn't satisfied with the explanation. "Because we love each other. I told you already Viktor is my husband, we're married" She nodded once and continued to walk but with less soaring. "Do you want to hold hands too?" Lola didn't say no, she just stopped and looked at her black shoes but when Yuuri got close to her she grabbed the large hand and held onto it tightly. She looked on the other side and saw Viktor's hand too but this one was even larger than the other so she hesitated before taking it.

"Isn't it nice?" He asked and she nodded, looking straight ahead. "Look, butterflies" He pointed towards a bush of flowers where a few small creatures were flying around and went closer when she began to tug in that direction. One of the butterflies approached them and sat on Viktor's green shirt, his wings moving lazily as Lola gasped and tugged on his hand to signal she wanted to see it better. Yuuri picked her up so she was offering a finger to the bug that flied away almost instantly and left her in tears.

"Oh, no, there's no need to cry, sweetheart" The younger man cooed as her bottom lip began to tremble.

"He was probably hurrying somewhere, let's find a new one" Viktor offered and ran his fingers through her tangled curls. She nodded, sniffling a bit and Yuuri kissed her head, making her freeze for a moment. Her hand reached the kissed place and she began to sob properly now.

"No, please don't cry, I'm sorry" He said hopelessly and she buried her face in his chest. "That's my way of telling you I like you a lot" He hesitated to use the world love, afraid she would get scared by it and she peeked up, looking at him. "Look, I kiss Viktor a lot because I love him" The taller man leaned so he could have his cheek kissed and the girl blinked, surprised. "See?"

"That means you're important to Yuuri" The Russian said and caressed her back gently. "Let's go find another butterfly, shall we?"

* * *

It was frightening how alien she was to all that affection meant but the walk was pleasant even if she didn't talk almost at all. Near dinner time they were asked if they wanted to stay or if they were heading back. At first, they didn't want to intrude but then they realised they could use the opportunity and see how she was eating and what she didn't like. As soon as a plate was placed in front of her she grabbed food with both hands and shoved it in her mouth, so fast it scared them both.

"It might be because she starved while she was... there" They nodded and Yuuri went closer and grabbed the untouched spoon.

"Let's use this" He whispered and took a spoonful of green peas and brought it to her dirty mouth that opened right away for the new delivery. "Mmm, delicious, isn't it? And we don't get dirty if we use the spoon" He assured and she blinked, a bit unsure by the use of words.

"Diwty?" Her eyes became watery and she looked heartbroken, very different from what they've seen in the garden. "No" She shook her head and looked at her now-dirty clothes. "No diwty" She grabbed the plain t-shirt she was wearing and tried to wipe the food off it desperately. "No" She continued and she looked ready to hyperventilate so Yuuri left the spoon down and gulped, looking at her.

"Look at me, Lo." He whispered. "It's just food, we'll wash it and it will go away, nothing bad will happen, I promise" He grabbed her small hands. "I promise" He suspected bad things happened if she got herself dirty in the past but he didn't want to think about that at all, instead he wiped her tears away with his thumbs. "There's my pretty girl" He cooed and she calmed down a bit before he started feeding her again.

After that they watched cartoons in the playroom, Lola in between them, her eyes concentrated on the Bugs Bunny on the screen as her small arms were wrapped around her own bunny.

"Do you like Bugs a lot?" Viktor asked and she nodded.

"Do you?" He chuckled.

"I like Bugs but I like Duffy too." He answered and she giggled.

"He's funny" They were both surprised by the sound so they smiled widely at her.

"He is" The Russian agreed and smiled when he realised that during their watching she has been leaning towards him so now her head was pressed against his arm. He made a gentle gesture of moving so he could wrap it around her and she sighed, her lids obviously dropping. "I think it's time for bed, princess" She didn't argue at all, she got up and headed for the stairs where she was picked up by Yuuri. When they reached her room she hurried towards her old suitcase and fumbled to open it and pick something from it. She came back with a small children's book, which was "Snow White" – terribly looking, a few pages missing, and bent at every corner and she offered it to Viktor who took it without second thought.

"Pwease"

"Of course" He whispered and sat on the edge of the bed, Yuuri joining him. His voice was tender in the quiet room and he read all of it a few times before she fell asleep, guarded by her bunny and her new teddy bear. They couldn't help themselves so they each pressed a soft kiss to her head, making sure she was comfortable and warm.

"Will you be back tomorrow?" Mrs. Graham asked when they saw they were ready to leave and they both said "yes" without a second thought. All they spoke about that night was Lola, watching the few pictures they took in the garden with fondness, enthusiastic about seeing her again. Now, that she began to slowly open up they were sure to reach the conclusion in a day or two.

The next day they didn't wait to be noon to go see her, they were there before 10 AM and found her on the stairs in front of the building, where she placed a blue blanket and her toys. When she saw them she got up immediately and ran towards them, beaming at the sight of them but unsure of how to react so they both bent and Yuuri hugged her.

"We missed you too, Lo" He whispered and picked her up, letting Viktor kiss her forehead. She was still hesitant when he moved suddenly but it was clear she was trying not to be scared anymore because after all, he hasn't done anything bad to her.

"Hi, princess" He greeted and she smiled shyly as they moved inside.

"Thank God! She's been there ever since she opened her eyes this morning! She hurried everything just to wait for you" Mrs. Graham said and they smiled, feeling their hearts flutter.

"Is that true, sweetheart?" Viktor asked and she nodded. "We'll come sooner tomorrow, I promise"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this brand new chapter ^_^ I am still nervous every time I post! I am eagerly waiting for your opinions so feel free to comment! See you! xx


	3. News

The warm air of the night hit his cheeks pleasantly and he sipped from his glass of wine, looking at the city lights. He heard the shower turn off but he didn't get back in, knowing Yuuri still needed time to get ready for bed, instead he fished his phone out of his sweatpants and checked the few messages he's received. Some were from Chris who was the only person who knew about their intentions and who received a couple of pictures earlier that day. He tapped on the pictures again and smiled at the sight of Lola hugging her bunny close to her body in a protective manner that made him swoon. Her blue eyes were wide and curious but gladly, they weren't frightened anymore, which was a great progress for all of them. The reason why they didn't tell anyone but Chris was because they didn't want anyone to influence their decision and also, it was a rather private matter they wanted to take care of themselves.

 

**From Chris:**

**She's adorable! But you gotta take care of that bunny, sweetling!**

 

He grinned and typed back that no one could touch her bunny. It was like an anchor to reality for her, it was comforting and they didn't want to take that away from her, even if she was completely safe around them. He was deep in thoughts when arms wrapped around his middle and he turned around to see Yuuri smiling at him lovingly.

"Your thoughts are too loud" He murmured and tiptoed to kiss him.

"Really?" He asked amused and leaned for another long and lingering press of their lips that made the younger man moan. His hands travelled to his lower back and then slowly moved to his neck where he felt the damp strands of hair he pulled gently so they could angle Yuuri's lips better before parting. "You must dry your hair, solnyshko"

Yuuri's stomach fluttered and he grinned.

"I'll let you dry it if you tell me what you were thinking so hard about" He winked and Viktor chuckled but accepted, of course. Soon they were sitting on the bed, the Russian kneeling behind the smaller man while holding a hairdryer and gently taking care of his lovely overlong raven hair. Yuuri sighed in pleasure and after they were done they cuddled under the covers, the Viktor resting his head on his lover's chest as the other was rubbing circles on his exposed neck. "So?"

"I was thinking of Lola" He whispered and closed his eyes. "Have you seen the look on her face when we left today?" She never cried, she simply looked at them sadly but without an ounce of surprise – just like she knew she was going to be abandoned again and again. The truth was, she grew attached and even if they kept touches to a minimum, she was happy whenever she saw them and wanted to spend as much time as possible together.

"Yes."

"It's horrible what we do, Yuuri. She's not a doll, we cannot play with her and then put her back on her shelve; we're breaking her heart everyday" The brunet exhaled loudly and closed his eyes, knowing Viktor was right. "I don't want to leave her behind anymore."

"Me neither. I think it's the time we take our baby home" He whispered and kissed the Russian's forehead lovingly when he felt his arms tightening around him. They stopped taking anyone else in consideration a while ago and there was no reason to postpone what they knew it was going to happen. "We'll talk to her and Mrs. Graham tomorrow"

And they did, they talked to the official first, to make sure everything was alright and she said the papers could be done immediately because it was a special case and the process would go smoothly but the harder part was explaining to Lola what was going on and asking for her opinion. She has been waiting on the hall while they spoke to Mrs. Graham, even if they told her she could go and play for a while and Yuuri smiled when she saw her hiding after a huge pot with a plant in it, her blue eyes searching.

"There's my girl" The younger man said and went closer to see her, making her step back scared. "We're not upset, sweetheart, come here" She hesitated but took his hand in the end, her fingers holding tightly to the warm skin.

"That's our beautiful princess" Viktor continued and booped her nose, making her smile a bit. "We have something important to tell you, let's go to your room" She didn't refuse so in a few minutes she was sitting on the squeaky bed and they were in front of her, squatting so they were on the same level.

"Would you like to come and live with us?" Her little brows furrowed. "We want to be a family – the three of us."

"You will stay in our home and have your own room, we have a puppy too" Viktor continued and rested a hand on her small knee. "We want to make you happy, Lo"

"Home?" Her voice was weak and confused.

"In Russia, we will have to go to another place" At that she flinched. "But we will be with you all the time" Yuuri whispered and took her small hand in his. "What do you think, sweetheart?"

"Can we pway?"

"Of course we can play" Viktor assured her with a smile.

"Take bunny?"

"Bunny comes with us, of course. Everything you have can come with us" The Japanese said and after a beat she nodded, taking the final decision.

"Okay" That was all it took for their eyes to water and they looked at each other happily, knowing their dream came true. Viktor's cheeks were damp when he hugged her gently, feeling her body against his.

"It's okay, sweetheart, I would never hurt you" He promised and Yuuri took his turn at hugs, holding her a little longer and rubbing her back soothingly. They had to work on her relationship with Viktor but they had time for that too, a lot of it, now.

"We must wait for Mrs. Graham to prepare everything and then you can come with us and tomorrow we can go home" She nodded and didn't protest when Yuuri picked her up and kissed her little ear. "We love you, Lo"

Viktor smiled and took his phone out to snap some pictures before they went outside to play at the playground, building sandcastles for bunny and taking turns in pushing the swing gently, making sure it wasn't too high because they were both overprotective and panicked. She was not a demanding child but they wanted to give her the world so they patiently followed her around and helped her with everything she needed. At noon they went inside because the sun was too strong and went to one of the empty rooms where Viktor began to read "Snow white" again, until Lola fell asleep, her head on his thigh.

"She's perfect" He whispered and Yuuri nodded as she shifted, curling so she was earning more warmth. He carried them to bed and then they went downstairs to talk to Mrs. Graham and ask how it was going. Apparently, all they needed was to sign the papers. Yuuri took the pen and chuckled nervously when he saw how his hands were shaking, turning around to look at Viktor who had his heart-shaped smile on.

He was sure. He wanted to give Lola the world, he wanted to give her endless happiness and love so he wrote his full name and then turned to offer the pen to his husband. Viktor did it a lot more confidently and when Mrs. Graham congratulated them they thanked her and hugged each other, eyes becoming teary once again.

"Our baby, Yuuri, our baby girl" Viktor whispered and Yuuri nodded before kissing his lips shortly.

"Our daughter" The silver-haired man grinned at that and they got out of the room, going upstairs to check on the sleeping child but were greeted by loud crying so they hurried inside panicked and found her bawling on the bed, her face red. "No, sweetheart, don't cry" Yuuri whispered and took her in his arms, beginning to bounce her gently to make her stop.

"What's the matter, Lo? Did you have a bad dream?" She shook her head at Viktor's words and her small fingers grabbed the shirt of the man holding her, making sure he wouldn't let go. "It's okay, princess, we've got you" He kissed her sweaty curls and then looked around for a napkin to wipe the tears and her snotty nose. "You can come home with us, malyshka" He pressed another soft kiss on her temple and they waited until she calmed down before Yuuri let her down.

"Do you want us to help you pack?" She nodded so they took the old suitcase and opened it to see what was inside. There were a few clothes –either too small or too big for her, a few ripped books, a colouring book and some crayons. They placed the bunny and teddy bear inside it too. "Do you have anything else?"

"Fow my teeth" She showed her teeth and Viktor went to the closest bathroom where she found a pink toothbrush that had a tag with "Lola" on it. When he came back she nodded and placed it in her suit, deciding that was all.

"Are we ready?"

"Yest" So Yuuri put her shoes on and made sure they took everything before they went downstairs where Mrs. Graham was waiting with a plastered smile. She waved at them and then bent to look at Lola.

"I think your daddies will make you the happiest girl, Lola" They hesitated to call themselves daddies because they didn't want to impose anything but the girl nodded shyly. "They love you a lot so be a good girl for them, okay?"

"Okay"

"Thank you for everything." Yuuri said and Lola tugged on his hand impatiently.

"It was all my pleasure, I wish you happiness!"

They called a cab to take them to the hotel and the ride has been silent, Lola looking outside the window curiously, flinching from time to time. Whenever that happened, Viktor rubbed her shoulder gently and she calmed down, her expression unchanged. Once they reached the tall building her blue eyes widened at the sight and Yuuri took her hand, smiling.

"We're staying up there until tomorrow" He whispered and pointed to the last floor where their suite was. She became agitated once they got inside the hotel and saw so many people roaming around, especially when a few stopped to look at them, ask them questions and such things.

"We'd like to chat more but we're hurrying" Viktor brushed them off as they headed towards the elevator where he squatted by Lola and watched her in the eye. "You're okay, princess?" She nodded and he kissed her small hand before she offered the bunny to him to kiss his head – which he did, of course. The door opened and they entered the hall and Yuuri turned on the lights before he hurried to untie the laces of her shoes.

"We'll show you around in a bit" He said and they did, patiently so she would look around. She was obviously tired so they called room-service for some proper dinner, skipping the desert because they weren't quite sure if they should eat sweets before going to sleep and after they were done they turned on the TV and found the cartoons before taking any other decision. Lola looked unsure at the big screen and then around, as if she wasn't sure she was allowed to touch anything.

"I think we all need a shower" Viktor said and Yuuri nodded. "I think Lo should bathe first, hmm?" She nodded and the Japanese wondered how often should they bathe her – he remembered there was no rule so he sighed and decided to think of that later.

"Would you like a bubble bath, Lo?" The younger man asked and the girl hesitated. "We can make it smell super nice too" He smiled and she finally nodded, taking the hand he was offering. "Can you give me your pjs first?"

She only had two pajamas and Yuuri chose the one who looked the most comfortable before guiding her so he could run the bath, going to pick the few bath bombs Viktor brought along. The Russian loved long and relaxing baths and he always carried those magical spheres around because they were the perfect treatment at the end of a stressful day. They were a few with glitter too.

"Which one would you like, sweetheart?" Her little fingers grabbed a yellow sparkling one and Yuuri grinned. "Come on" He pointed towards the filled tub. "Drop it in the water" As soon as it began to dissolve she gasped in awe and then began to giggle when glitter began to spread all around.

"Wha's that?"

"It's magical now" He grinned.

"For the princess only" Viktor's voice startled both of them and they turned around to see he was leaning against the doorframe. Lola tensed a bit at the sight of him and Yuuri wrapped an arm around her.

"Do you think Viktor can stay too?" She nodded hesitantly and soon they were gently bathing her, making sure not to make any sudden move that might scare her.

"You have such a pretty hair" The older man said and Yuuri grinned.

"Vitya had long pretty and long hair too, when he was younger" Her spring-sky eyes widened and the man promised he will show pictures later. They made sure she was squeaky clean before Yuuri dressed her in her red pjs and dried her hair gently, combing it so it wouldn't tangle. "Are you sleepy, baby?" She shook her head but her lids were obviously dropping so he picked her up and carried her to the bed where she was placed in the middle. She was immediately distracted by the cartoons and as they took turns for the shower she fell asleep without realising so Viktor found her sleeping on the pillows, her mouth opened.

"Poor baby was tired" He murmured to Yuuri as he covered the sleeping figure, taking a pillow from under her head so her neck wouldn't go stiff.

"It was an eventful day" The other agreed and muted the TV before grabbing his laptop and phone and mimicking to his husband to follow him to the living room. When they finally reached it, he sat on the couch while Viktor went to grab a fresh bottle of wine he ordered before taking his shower. He poured two glasses and offered one to Yuuri who was staring at his phone intently.

"What's the matter, solnyshko?" The pale-haired man asked after he sipped from the red substance and then buried his nose in his lover's neck.

"I wanted to call home but I'm not so sure anymore..."

"Why?" A soft kiss was placed on his shoulder and he felt an arm wrapping around his middle. He understood right away that it was because of the nervousness so he raised his head so he could press his lips where they belonged – against the other's. "I am sure they will gonna be very happy"

"But I haven't told them anything"

"Your parents love you unconditionally, zoloste, and they will support us no matter what" He continued and initiated an Eskimo kiss that made Yuuri smile weakly. "Okay?"

"You better help me out"

"Of course – I miss Mama and Papa Katsuki too." That was all it took for Yuuri to call his parents that answered after two rings because it was almost noon in Japan.

"Yuuri!" It was Hiroko who seemed extraordinarily enthusiastic to hear her son's voice and who made Viktor smile instantly.

"Viktor too!"

"Hello, Vicchan!" She replied right away and Yuuri asked if there was any possibility for her to get Mr. Katsuki too and wait for their video call. They thought it was better to see them too, to make sure they properly understood their opinion and also to make it realer. They weren't talking about a simple thing – they were talking about a granddaughter. When they connected both pairs smiled and waved, taking a few moments to get used to the sight.

"You look so tired! Are you resting and eating properly?" They knew they were in the States with business but it was the time to change that. Viktor's hand reached his husband's and he leaned to kiss his temple as Yuuri made the first step.

"We are, we have some news, actually." He hesitated. "That's why we wanted to talk to the both of you"

"We decided to adopt" Viktor said, his heart-shaped smile on and the elders gasped, their eyes brightening.

"In fact – we already did" Yuuri murmured unsure and felt a squeeze on his fingers when his parents' mouths gaped. "Today"

"That's so sudden! Who? Why haven't you told us? Can we meet...?"

"Her, her name is Lola" The Japanese muttered and they both began to tell them that they were sure of their decision and they felt the need to expand their family and make a child happy. They decided not to go into details when it came to the abuse and the couple didn't insist because it was clear they weren't comfortable talking about it like that.

"We're happy for you!" Toshiya said. "I can't believe we're sofubo"

"You must visit us as soon as you can!"

"We will try" Yuuri murmured and was distracted by a loud wail that came out of nowhere and that sent shivers down his spine. Viktor got up right away and hurried towards the bedroom where he found Lola a crying mess on the bed and as soon as she saw him she backed down until her body was pressed against the end of the bed, her voice getting louder.

The Russian felt pain ripping through his chest but understood that there was no point in trying to reach her because that would only do worse.

"Yuuri" He called and the brunet appeared immediately, shocked by the image. "She's scared" He whispered, his voice heavy with angst.

Yuuri knew that Viktor felt guilty but he couldn't reassure him now because his daughter was crying her eyes out and it broke his heart to hear her sobbing so hysterically. He was almost instantly by her side and blinked when she flinched as he tried to reach her but he didn't give up, he reached her knees that were resting under her chin.

"Hey, Lo, what happened?" There was no answer, just more whimpers. "Do you remember where you are? You're with Viktor and I at a nice hotel, you're safe." Her face was wet so he took a napkin and wiped it before opening his arms. "Come 'ere" She crawled in the warmth of his hold and grasped his shirt with both hands, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "That's right, you're okay, sweetheart. See? Nothing bad happened." He picked her up and kissed her head soothingly. "You're safe" He looked at Viktor who seemed a bit more relieved but was also super tense and then kissed the little girl's hair again. He began to walk around the room while whispering to her and after a while she completely gave out, laying limp against his body.

"Do you want milk, Lo?" Viktor asked and she nodded hesitantly, her eyes closed. "Okay, let me get it for you" He called room service and asked for warm milk – which probably was an interesting request as it was past midnight already and most people were ordering champagne or wine. He came back with a tall glass and offered it to her lips, waiting so she would drain it. "Better?"

"Uh-uh" She was fine now, looking at him and even touching so he could breathe easier.

"Let's go and wash our faces" Yuuri said before disappearing into the bathroom, Viktor going back to his parents.

"The princess had a bad dream" He said with a crisped smile because he was still shook from what happened just a few minutes before. His smile widened when he saw they had guests and Lola rubbed her eyes sleepily as Yuuri carried her to the couch, where he sat and placed her in his lap.

The Japanese couple found themselves holding their breaths at the sight because in front of them appeared an angelic picture of a tiny girl, her blue eyes that were almost dropping curiously inspecting their faces, intrigued. Her hair was messy but she nevertheless looked adorable, holding to something that looked close to a bunny.

"Konichiwa!" At that, the girl turned to Viktor for an explanation.

"They're Yuuri's parents, your grandparents – they say hi" She waved shyly at the camera and buried her face in the bunny.

"She's such a cutie!" Hiroko praised and the brunet nodded as she leaned on him so she could close her eyes. She was obviously exhausted because of the little crisis and soon she fell into a deep slumber, lulled by warm voices. "I think someone needs her sleep" The woman smiled and they both nodded. "Call us soon!"

"We will! Sayonara!" Viktor ended the call before closing the laptop and following his husband and daughter to the bedroom. Yuuri placed her in the middle before snuggling on his side but saw the older man hesitated.

"What's the matter?"

"I think- I should sleep on the couch" He whispered and Yuuri furrowed his brows.

"Vitya" He dragged the "a" and the pale-haired man sighed.

"I don't want to scare her"

"You won't, now come here" He couldn't sleep well without Viktor by his side, his body couldn't handle not being near the familiar silhouette. Reluctantly, the man snuggled so Lola was in between them, his icy blues looking for comfort that came in the shape of a velvety hand caressing his cheek. "You did nothing wrong, it's not your fault, it's those people's" Viktor nodded and kissed the hand shortly, smiling a bit. "She needs time, I think she really cares for you but she isn't sure how to get close to you" He sighed but had to agree.

"We have time"

"A lifetime" Yuuri promised and smiled sleepily.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you like the direction in which the story is heading and that you are ready for more. The next chapter will be featuring some special guests (hehe) ^_^ Thank you for the lovely comments and kudos - they keep me fuelled and make my days better so feel free to write me anytime! Take care and have a lovely day! x
> 
> Sofubo - grandparents (Japanese) 
> 
> Malyshka - baby (Russian); prepare yourselves for more Russian pet names because it's obvious that Viktor loves them!


	4. Safe and Sound

The flight seemed endless but they were finally in Russia, finally in their cozy apartment that they presented to the little girl, making sure she understood she could go anywhere, anytime. They were going to transform one of their two guestrooms into her bedroom but that was going to take some time so they let her pick one of the beds where she wanted to sleep. They considered letting her sleep with them too but that might have been problematic yet so they gave up on the idea. They slept on the plane and it wasn't wise for them to sleep before the night fell so after they unpacked, Viktor went to make some tea.

They had a shopping session the morning before the flight – mostly buying new things for Lola, new clothes and shoes and even some toys she liked and now the girl was staring at them as Yuuri unpacked the suitcases, ready to put them in place. He was deepened in thought but when the girl grabbed one of the toys – a stuffed seahorse – he snapped out of it and looked over at her. She gulped and grasped tighter on it.

"You can take them all if you want to play." He assured and motioned to her to come closer. "How about a kiss?" She smiled cutesy and leaned to kiss his cheek before grabbing the others. "I think Viktor deserves a kiss too, don't you think?"

"Yest" She agreed and soon she ran towards the kitchen, her little steps echoing all around, making the Japanese grin as he continued his work. In the kitchen, Viktor was doing his best to pour tea into the new orange sippy cup when he heard hurried feet and felt a shy tug on his pants.

"What's the matter, princess?"

"Tiss" She said and his eyebrows shoot for the sky before he bent to let her kiss his cheek. He smiled at the feathery movement and then pulled her in his arms for a hug where her breathing began to hitch.

"Lo" He whispered calmly and his hand began to caress her back until the inhales and exhales evened. "Thank you, zvyozdochka" He kissed her forehead and then got up to grab the sippy cup and offer it to her. "Tea for you" He smiled and she took it without a second thought.

Yuuri decided to wash some clothes so he picked every white piece that was worn by them and headed to the bathroom when he realised there was one more white thing that he wanted to wash. He found Lola in the living room, playing on the carpet with Viktor and spotted the toy he wanted right away because it was in the arms of its owner, like always.

"Lo, can I borrow mister Bunny?" He asked and she frowned at the question.

"Why?"

"Because he needs a bath" She shook her head and he sighed because he was sure it was going to be difficult. "But he will smell so nice after – and he will enjoy it, don't you like taking baths?"

"He bafs with me" She concluded and Viktor chuckled at the sudden sassiness, earning a deathly glare from his husband. He cleared his throat and wrapped a hand around the girl's shoulder.

"I think we must listen to Yuuri, lapochka"

"No" She shook her head and held tighter on the bunny.

"You can have him back in an hour, you won't even feel his absence and he will have fun!" He tried and she pouted, the expression surprisingly familiar with his husband's. "I'll show you" She didn't want at first but then followed him to the bathroom where he opened the door of the washing machine. "We put him here and he will spin, like in a carousel"

"Ca-iu-sel?"

"Carousel" He repeated and she blinked, obviously confused. "Do you want to see?" She nodded so he started the machine and when the bunny began to spin around she gasped and then giggled, following him with her eyes. "See? Now we can go and do something else while he washes." But she didn't want that, she sat on the bathroom floor and watched intently the process.

"Is she alright?" Asked Viktor and stretched on the sofa when his husband entered the room.

"She won't leave the bathroom for the next hour and twelve minutes" Viktor burst into chuckles and Yuuri grinned, going closer for a hug.

"Thank God we don't have weak bladders" The Russian whispered and was rewarded with a playful slap against his shoulder at which he answered with a long and soft kiss. "I think I will go to keep her company"

"You orbit around her." The older man smiled and kissed his nose.

"Jealous, solnyshko?"

"Don't be ridiculous." He laughed but Viktor wouldn't let it go so he leaned to kiss his ear and whisper.

"I will remind you just how much I love you soon enough" Yuuri pouted.

"I'll hold you to that" And with a wink, he left so he could find his daughter who was in the exact same position in the bathroom, her lips parted. She didn't say a thing when he sat by her side but she quietly leaned against his chest, enjoying the feeling of his fingers playing with her hair.

When the bunny finally was out of the carousel they used a hairdryer so she could get him as soon as possible. They were in the living room, watching cartoons when someone knocked on the floor and they exchanged confused looks because they weren't waiting for anyone. Yuuri was the one to answer and not little was his surprise when he saw that in front of him stood the Russian punk, Yuri Plisetsky, holding a leash connected to their puppy's collar.

"Yakov sent me to deliver your mutt" He rolled his eyes and almost threw the leash at him, which the Japanese grabbed, smiling at the happy bark of Sakakibara.

"Come in, Yuri" He offered and stepped aside, knowing the young skater will accept, even if he looked reluctant at first. "We got back a few hours ago" He announced and he heard Viktor's voice who asked who it was.

"It's me, baldy!" Yuri shouted and untied the laces of his leopard-print sneakers before hurrying towards the origin on the voice. Truthfully, he was curious because they both acted suspiciously – no one knew anything about the reasons why they were going to the states again and uncharacteristically of Viktor, there was no picture posted on Instagram or any other social media. It was clear the geezers were hiding something and he wanted to find out...

What?

He was ready to shout at Nikiforov that he was going to torture the truth out of him when he saw they were not alone and his green eyes were ready to pop out at the sight. Because pressed against the side of the older Russian was a little girl, her little fingers grabbing at his shirt, probably scared by the sudden movements and the violent shout.

"What the fu-"

"Language" Yuuri warned entering the room holding Sakakibara in his arms, catching Lola's attention immediately but obtaining no change. If anything, she pressed further against Viktor.

"Lola, this is Yurio" Viktor said and rubbed her shoulder gently. "Yura, this is Lola Katsuki-Nikiforov"

It took more than a minute for the blond to process the words and when he finally did he was left speechless, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly, making him look like a fish.

"Bullshit" He whispered and Yuuri threw him another look that was supposed to warn him about swearing. "There's no way – right, kid?" He was waiting for some words that never came, instead Lola kept staring at him, half-hidden behind her father's arm. He looked at her and found something familiar in those blues, it was like he was seeing an old picture of himself and at that realisation, his mouth went dry.

Yuuri released Sakakibara that headed straight for the couch, making the girl squeak and raise her feet scared.

"This is Saka, our puppy." Viktor explained and rubbed the pet's head, showing her there was no reason for her to be scared. "Look, he likes when you pet pet him" A trembling hand touched the animal's ear and he barked happily before he started to lick it, making the girl giggle.

"Yurio, would you like some tea? Are you staying for dinner?"

"I'm meeting Beka when he's done with practice" Half a year ago Otabek and Yuri moved in together, their long-distance relationship finally blooming into something more. The change reflected into the teen's behaviour too because even if he was still edgy and grumpy, he was obviously happier. He spoke the words mindlessly because he was still focused on the little person, wondering if this was some kind of twisted dream. "Lola" He repeated the foreign name and the child turned towards him, their eyes locking. "Hi"

He felt dumb but he had no idea how he was supposed to talk to humans this tiny.

"Hi" Her voice was weak and it was there only because she knew she had both Yuuri and Viktor by her side. He bent so they were at the same level and she pointed towards his shirt, making him look down and see there was a cat on it.

"Do you like cats?" She nodded and as hypnotised, his face broke into half a smile. "I have a cat, do you want to see her?" He didn't wait for the reply, he fished the phone out of his pants and showed her a few of the hundreds of pictures he had of Sofyia. She didn't say anything but the smile on her face was getting wider and wider with every image.

"I am sure Yurio will let you visit Sofyia if you ask him nicely."

"Pwease" The blond felt something pulling at his heart when he heard the sweet voice.

"Sure"

The husbands exchanged surprised glances but didn't say a word, instead they both smiled, happy that it went so smoothly; let's just say that they expected a reaction that would be more on the volcanic side but they were completely satisfied with what they got. Yuuri decided it was time to feed Saka and then go and buy some groceries from the near store. Lola tagged along so in a bit over 15 minutes they were dressed and leaving, time in which Yuri crashed on the sofa, beside Viktor and let his buzzing phone aside.

"Tell me"

"What?" The silver-haired man asked as he switched the channels of the TV.

"Don't fuck with me. What happened to her?" Of course he would be sharp, he was not one to be called unperceptive. "And why so sudden?"

"We're in our thirties, we never said we were not going to have children and now it was the right moment." It was true, the right time has come, they could focus now on their family. "She has been abused in the past, they gave her no food and she has been beaten constantly by her mother's lovers. That's the reason why her vocabulary is so limited too." At her age, children usually couldn't be stopped from talking but she was a special case and they knew they had to take it easy and never force her into doing anything that might make her uncomfortable. The good thing was that she was speaking more and more each day.

"I see" Yuri could feel his skin crawling. If his grandpa wouldn't have taken him in he would have probably ended up in some orphanage too but he's never been abused, only neglected. "I'm glad you took her" It was a rather surprising thing for him to say but all he could think about was how grateful he would have felt in her situation because, gross or not, they were both loving and could offer her near to everything in this world.

Viktor showed him his million dollar smile, feeling ready to swoon at the words. They small-talked until the other two were back and Yuuri began to prepare the dinner, doing his best not to fall over because of the puppy and Lola who were running after each other, the girl giggling wildly when the dog began to lick her hands or nudged her from time to time.

"I'm off" Yuri said around 6 and got up, eyeing Yuuri.

"Too bad you're not staying"

"Another time" The skater then turned to see Lola was watching him, her previous playing forgot. So he had to hold himself from going and rubbing her head because he knew she wouldn't be comfortable and instead waved at her once. "Take care, kid." She waved back and then ran towards Yuuri because something was smelling very nice around him.

Once Yurio was left they put the table and it was not surprising that Lola loved the Japanese's cooking and ate so fast that they were scared she was going to choke. Every time they tried to slow her down it would only last a minute or so but they were too tired to insist. They decided to go at the rink the following day and present Lola to the Russian team because eventually it had to happen and it was better if it was sooner. Lola fell asleep around 8 so Viktor tucked her in her new bed, making sure to leave a lamp on and the door open so she wouldn't panic in case she woke up.

"Done?"

"I hope she won't wake up during the night." He sighed and then wrapped his arms around Yuuri, burying his face in his hair. "You smell so nice" The brunet hummed and their lips met hungrily, wanting more and more of each other.

"Vitya" He moaned when the lips began to run down his throat while restless hands reached under his shirt.

"Mmm" He knew there was going to be a hickey in the morning and he would have stopped his husband if he wouldn't have been so distracted by his touch. "Bed" The older man murmured and the other accepted without a second thought, knowing too well that this was what he needed. Soon they were a mess of tangled limbs and he felt himself hardening at the seducing movement of Viktor's hips who were buckling against his. The shirts didn't last long before they were gone and then the pants and underwear followed and they were lost in each other. So they fell asleep curled around each other, taking precautions such as putting their pants back on after they were done because who knew what could happen?

* * *

The rink was almost empty and that was because it was lunchtime and everyone was out to eat but that didn't stop them because Yakov's voice could still be heard booming near the ice. The poor victim must have been Yuri because an annoyed groaned followed and they smiled at each other, amused. Lola was holding on Viktor's hand, distracted by her bunny but the deep voice startled her so Yuuri rubbed her head gently, assuring her he was there too.

When they reached the ice, Yuri was putting his purple guards back on his skates and was ready to go and eat when he spotted them and his mouth turned into a displeased line, making his coach turn around and see what was so dissatisfying. He furrowed his eyebrows – he was not so young anymore and even if Lilia insisted on it, he never wore his glasses at the rink - and recognised right away the familiar silver head; his former student was hard to miss as he began to wave but what caught his attention was not him nor the other younger Asian man. His eyes were focused on something that became more and more human with each step towards him – a little girl, it seemed. The question was : what in the world was she doing with them? Maybe she was one of Yuuri's relatives but she didn't seem Japanese and when they stopped in front of him she hid behind Viktor's long leg, peeking at him.

"Yakov! It's so nice to see you!" He didn't understand why he was using English but then looked down an realised it was probably because of her.

"Welcome back" Yakov has learned English when he was younger and competing in foreign countries and it served him well during his coaching career too because this way, he could never fall behind the younger ones.

"Whose child is this?" He asked in Russian, not caring about pleasantries. "Is she lost?"

"Lola is ours" Viktor said and squatted to wrap and arm around her small shoulders. "Aren't you happy, grandpa Yakov?"

A moment passed. A blink. The silent was always scary when it came to Yakov and just then Georgi and Mila entered the place and stopped, surprised by the sight.

"WHAT?!" The yell was so loud that the girl jumped and Viktor wrapped the other arm around her too, pulling her closer to kiss her cheek.

"Now, now, he just seems scary, he's actually pretty nice" He whispered and then turned towards the elder.

"Oi, Yakov, take it easy!" Yuri intervened as he saw the scared expression on the child's face.

"Nt" The coach decided he was too old for this but at the same time he couldn't believe it – he never thought he'd see the day when Viktor would call himself a father. He sighed, knowing it wasn't the proper way to react and counted from 1 to 10, a trick he always used when Viktor would do stupid things during his career so he wouldn't allow his poor heart to explode. After he exhaled deeply he looked at the girl – she was cute but she also looked ready to run for the hills and it was all his fault. "I'm Yakov, nice to meet you" His voice was thick and Lola leaned to whisper something to Viktor.

"What's that?" He asked and she repeated. "You think he has a funny accent?" He chuckled and she nodded innocently. "Funnier than mine?" She observed both her caregivers had weird accents and she said that to them this morning, while having breakfast, which made them both chuckle because it was so true. She nodded again and Yuuri grinned.

"Well, why don't you say hi to him"

"Hello" She said shyly and Yakov offered her a hand she touched, surprised at the coarse texture of the skin.

"Grandpa Yakov can teach you how to skate if you want to" Viktor said, gently holding her sides.

"I think your Papa can do that perfectly well too" The coach replied and the silver-haired man's heart fluttered at the word Papa, knowing his status was already accepted. Icy blues met familiar severe blues and Vitya almost became teary when he saw Yakov's eyes were smiling. They were saying "I'm proud of you" and it was true because that was what the old man was feeling. They've been family, ever since he took the boy in, after his mother abandoned him and he was proud to witness Viktor blooming in this direction. He's always been a star on ice but in private, he's been a scared little boy ever since he met him, insecurities burdening him so he could barely breathe. Always lonely – Christophe Giacometti being his only friend, one who was living thousands of kilometres away. Yuuri change that; as angry as he has been when the skater left out of the blue to chase some imaginary love, Yakov was glad it happened like that because seeing Viktor this happy was better than any gold medal.

"We'll see what we can do" He promised and kissed her soft hair.

"OMG! She's so cute! I can't believe you haven't told us you were gonna adopt!" Mila's voice was pitched and she almost ran to them once she overheard the word "papa". "I'm aunty Mila, sweetie! You're so cute!"

"Leave the kid alone, hag! She deserves better aunts" The redhead turned to throw Yuri an annoyed glance for that but concentrated on Lola who seemed shyer now, that she was in the centre of attention.

"I can't wait to spoil you rotten!" She giggled and tugged a little on her green dress. "Such a pretty dress, who got it for you?" The girl pointed towards the two former skaters and Mila grinned. "Awesome fashion sense, as expected. That's your uncle Georgi" She presented the man and Lo hesitated, Yuuri offering an apologetic smile.

Otabek left to take off his skates and change his t-shirt because it was way too sweaty so when he came back and saw everyone was basically agglutinated in one certain place he frowned, confused. Yuri saw his distress and motioned for him to go closer when he spotted two familiar figures. He saw Lola and realised right away it was the girl who Yura talked about so he told her his name but didn't make a real conversation, knowing he will have various occasions in the future. Having two sisters and countless cousins he grew up with, the Kazakh was rather skilled with children and he enjoyed spending time with them but he decided to wait a little until getting closer to her, so she could get used to his presence in the first place.

"Let's have lunch together" The Japanese suggested and they all agreed on a near bistro they all fancied. Yakov usually preferred not to tag along because the Russian team was a circus at the rink, he didn't need more of them during breaks but this time he went along and followed his pupils to a jolly and loud lunch. Lola seemed to agree with Yuri and Mila the most from the new acquaintances and she even answered to their questions, even if she held tightly to Yuuri's arm the entire time. It was almost surprising to see the retired skaters with such a gentle aura around them but one thing was sure – it fitted them like a glove.

Once they got back home Viktor took Saka for a walk during the time Yuuri prepared Lola for her nap-time. As they had no friends with children, the only person he could ask things related to toddlers was his mother whom he was already calling at least three times a day now. And she told him she needed naps otherwise she would be demure in the afternoon and here he was, staying on his and Viktor's bed with her cuddled under the soft blanket and him holding her books. They needed to go shopping badly – he decided he would talk to Viktor about that because they needed furniture for her room too and that needed to happen as soon as possible.

"Which one do you want?" She pointed towards "Snow White" once again and he hummed, settling on the pillows by her side. Lola closed her eyes and rested her head in his lap instead of her pillow, making him smile and bend to kiss her cheek. "Lo?" She opened an eye. "Do you like it here?" She nodded and he placed a strand of hair behind her ear. "We like that you're here too. If you want something you can tell us anytime, okay?"

"Okay"

"We love you a lot" She smiled shyly and he kissed her temple again before beginning to read the story. It took 5 stories to get her to sleep and when he finally succeeded he felt the slumber taking over him so he decided to close his eyes for a couple of minutes. After all, it wasn't like he had anything scheduled for the day.

Viktor took a shorter route than normal with Saka and that was only because he couldn't wait to get home, missing Yuuri and Lola badly. His furry friend needed attention too so he played with him, trying to teach him fetch and other tricks and rewarding him lovingly even if he didn't always succeed into completing his tasks. The truth was, he felt like flying. As soon as he entered the apartment he expected Yuuri to come and kiss him like he always did but that didn't happen and he chose not to call for him because their daughter was most probably sleeping. So he hurried the puppy towards the bathtub where he left him for a bit, searching for his lover; once he entered the bedroom his face almost split in two because of his humongous smile and he took out his phone to photograph the lovely image in front of him. They were both sleeping, Lola's head resting on Yuuri's tummy as the man was holding her hand in his, his glasses forgotten next to him and their faces crowned with serenity. He snapped a few photos and decided this was the perfect time to introduce Lola to the world.

They knew some photographs have been taken at the airport when they landed in St. Petersburg and they decided they weren't going to stop the publishing because this was not a thing they wished to or could keep hidden. She was already a huge part of their lives and they knew their admirers were not gonna attack her in any way, not that they would allow it. He chose the sweetest one and posted it on his Instagram with the caption "Happiest man in the World! Meet Lola Katsuki-Nikiforov" followed by many hearts and other emojis . Yuuri was used to being all over his husband's Instagram so he came to a point where he didn't get flustered anymore because he couldn't stop the man from being extra – it was his nature. He knew a lot of comments and articles and calls were going to follow so he put his phone on silent and went to wash the waiting puppy before drying him and following him towards the bedroom. The little pet jumped on the bed and sat by Lola's feet so Viktor decided it was a wise choice and joined the trio on the double bed, wrapping an arm around the little girl, assuring her she was safe and sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like the story so far! The truth is I am heart and soul involved (that's why I was rather prolific these past days) and I hope I can stir some sort of emotion! I hope you're all well; thank you for reading! xx
> 
> zvyozdochka - little star
> 
> lapochka - sweetie pie ^_^


	5. A Step Forward

The fans went crazy. By the following morning there were headlines such as "The power couple of skating expanded their family!", "Katsuki-Nikiforov family is growing" etc. and as amusing it was how much people cared about their personal life, the interest made Yuuri anxious. He was pessimistic by nature, he always thought of what bad things could happen and it was clear he was overthinking because he looked quite distracted. They decided to go shopping in the afternoon and now they were waiting for Lola to wake up from her nap, Yuuri preparing green tea for both of them. Viktor was checking his Instagram, reading the many wonderful comments that were congratulating them or that spoke about how cute the girl was, when he heard porcelain cracking and he realised his husband dropped one cup on the ground.

He got up immediately to see the brunet watching the pieces intently and went to grab the man's hand and pull him away from the mess.

"Sorry" He murmured distracted and Viktor kissed his cheek before murmuring a "Don't be" and grabbing the broom to swipe away all of the pieces away, so no one would get hurt. After he was done he wrapped his arms around his husband and kissed his forehead gently.

"What's the matter, solnyshko?" The question made Yuuri relax and Viktor smiled because he knew that was all it took for him to open up for him like flower. "Hm?"

"What if Lola gets hurt?" He asked and searched for light blue, waiting for an answer.

"What are you talking about, Yuu~ri?"

"Everyone is talking about her – what if some crazy guy targets her or if they write mean things or if they look up her past?" The Russian understood what he was referring to now so he cupped his head with both hands and leaned so their eyes locked. "I'm scared something bad will happen, Viktor"

"Yuuri" He murmured. "Nothing is going to happen to Lola, I promise. They're talking because they're happy for us, zoloste; they can't look up her past, everything from her file is confidential, remember? And we won't allow anyone to touch her but we can't keep her hidden either, love"

"I know – it's just that I want everything to go well" A short kiss stopped him and he inhaled deeply after that.

"And it will, I promise! I will do anything to keep the both of you safe. Look, I will ask everyone not to go overboard in a way that might endanger Lo's safety, alright?" The brunet nodded and accepted the following kiss before wrapping his arms around his husband and enjoying the warmth of the soothing hug.

"I love you"

"I love you too, you know that" The older man answered with his gentlest voice. "If it bothers you I won't post pictures of her anymore." The Japanese pulled apart to look at his husband who was looking like a rained puppy in that moment. He knew how happy he was to picture every part of his life and share it with the entire world so he didn't want to take that away from him, after all, Lola was so cute, he could barely stop himself from picturing her. She deserved all this attention and all the lovely comments.

"Don't be silly. I was overthinking, there are a lot of people posting pictures of their children and nothing happened to them" Viktor nodded and kissed his cheek. They remained flushed against each other for a few moments and parted only when a bark startled them and they turned around to see their puppy was jolly to see their daughter. As soon as they saw her they smiled sincerely and went closer to kiss her.

"Sneaking on us, princess?" The Russian asked teasingly and she smiled, ending with a yawn.

"Slept well?"

"Yest" Her voice was small as she was rubbing her eye and Yuuri picked her up.

"Do you want some tea?" When she accepted Viktor went to pour the warm liquid in two cups and her favourite sippycup with Winnie Pooh. They decided to indulge some cartoons until she woke up entirely so they sat on the sofa and enjoyed the serenity, making small talk. When Lola was done she offered her cup to Viktor who took it without hesitation.

"Mowe, daddy?" He was ready to answer when the realisation hit the both of them and their eyes widened as they looked at the nonchalant little girl. She probably had no idea how much what she just said made their heartbeats increase because she watched their expression confused, until the older man decided it was time to find his words and answer.

"Of course I can get you more, sweetheart." He kissed her head hurriedly before getting up and heading for the kitchen. "Daddy will get you more tea" Yuuri chuckled at the enthusiasm and then rubbed the child's head gently.

"Whaat?" She sang mimicking Viktor's way of dragging the last syllable.

"I think you made him very happy by calling him daddy" He confessed and her rosy lips formed a satisfied smile. "It's true"

"Daddy too!" She pointed towards the man in front of her whose grin got wider.

"And you're our baby" Yuuri cooed and picked her up to place her in his lap. When Viktor came back with the tea he was basically sparkling so it took his husband's all might not to chuckle every time he looked at him.

Yuuri made an appointment to their doctor because they needed to register Lola and also because they needed her to have all types of tests done. The orphanage warned them from the first moment that she needed a few shots so they wanted to take care of that as soon as possible because they weren't to risk her health.

They asked a lot of people for recommendations of shops that had what they needed and they spent all afternoon looking for the right things. They started with the furniture – deciding on a light violet single-bed with canopy (because Viktor) and mostly white, pink and lavender pieces. They had some custom ordered too – a chest for toys, a hammock that could be put inside and after that they decided to have some people repaint the walls, deciding the walls should look like a sky filled with fluffy white clouds. Yuuri could barely stop Viktor from buying everything his eyes laid on but agreed to visit a toys shop before going home. They had guests for dinner – Yuri and Otabek who were regulars on Thursday nights so they had to hurry. Once they got into the huge shop Lola's mouth fell open – she was sure she never saw so many toys together before.

"We can pick..." Yuuri changed his mind in the last moment. He wanted to say one toy but the realisation that Lola only had a few stuffed animals pulled at his heart; she deserved so much more but he didn't want to spoil her either. "Three toys today to go home with us, okay?"

"Okay" She understood that so she pulled the both of them towards the nearest shelve where she began to look at all the pretty stuffed animals and puzzles. In the end she picked a stuffed ladybug, a Lego castle and huge colouring set and as they were going towards the cashier they reached a shelf filled with Disney dolls and once she saw Snow White her mouth formed a perfect "o". "Tis one too, daddy?" She asked innocently and pointed towards the princess – she really liked that one a lot. Yuuri felt his principles crumble when he heard the question and sighed.

"Yes, daddy, just this one." Viktor said and squatted to match her puppy eyes and exaggerate a pout. "And our myshka has been such a good girl" He kissed her temple and Yuuri knew it was a lost battle.

"Okay, just this one"

"And I think we need some colouring books too"

"Vitya!" Yuuri burst into laughter at the silliness but knew that the kiss that followed was meant to make him change his mind – and it did, because he couldn't say no to his sweet family. He wasn't going to deny that Lola needed a lot of things she had yet to experience and the childish part of his husband was not helping him with controlling his urge of buying everything at once.

They took a taxi home because they needed to prepare dinner yet and once they arrived the Russian helped with unpacking the new toys and then took Lola to walk Saka around the neighbourhood before they decided it was time to help Yuuri in the kitchen. Which was basically the brunet trying to keep them busy with small tasks so they wouldn't destroy anything. It involved baking so once the dish was in the oven they went to the living room where Lo began to play with her new Legos on the fluffy carpet, too busy to talk with her bunny to realise her daddies where cuddling without her.

But a peaceful snuggle was not what Viktor intended. Instead of that, a wicked grin appeared on his face as his fingers began to touch lightly Yuuri's sides, making the ever so ticklish man jump and laugh at the same time.

"Viktor!" He warned but the man was unstoppable, beginning to search under his shirt for more ticklish spots. He learned them all already so it wasn't hard to make the man chuckle hysterically, his face getting red at the ministration. The Russian loved to see him like this, out of breath, having a good time, his face a puffy mess and his cheeks red from the laughter. "Vitya, stop!" He laughed out loud and Viktor pouted, taking a break to let him breathe only before starting once again, making Yuuri squeak loudly, tears of laughter falling down his cheeks. "S-Stop!"

"Oh no, but what fun would it be then?" He asked amused and stopped when something hit his leg hard but not hard enough to hurt. He turned around and saw it was Lola who was still hitting his leg, her expression terrified and angered at the same time.

"Stop" She winced and gulped a sob when they both stared at her incredulously. "Stop!" She yelled and continued to punch the exposed skin of Viktor's muscular leg. When she began to scream so loud that it made their skin crawl, Yuuri changed his position, ready to stop her but Viktor acted before him.

"No hitting! Never!" He warned and she continued to hit so he grabbed her arm, immobilising it and making the girl shut up completely, gulping her every sob and glancing at him in complete horror. "You're not allowed to hit anyone, ever, Lola!" Their eyes were at the same level and she seemed to hyperventilate when she heard his unusual stern voice. She never heard him using this tone before, he was usually jollier than anyone else in the room. "Now tell daddy what's wrong" She sniffled but didn't say anything, petrified. "Lola" His voice softened as he gently grabbed her shoulder and her frozen expression broke into terror; she jumped as burned, away from his touch and before he could react she ran towards the door heading to the long hall.

"Lola!" Yuuri tried but there was no way to stop her and Viktor got up, deciding to chase after her so she wouldn't hurt herself. She tripped and fell on her knees when entering their walk-in closet and she hissed in pain but got up as immediately, adrenaline pumping through her veins. When he entered the closet he turned on the light because the room had no windows and saw the girl disappearing between his and Yuuri's many coats and jackets. He expected Yuuri to follow but heard no steps and realised his husband probably wanted him to make things right so he got near the corner and kneeled on the floor, finding a peeking yellow sock.

"Lo" He called for her and heard a small whimper that broke his heart because it was clear she was scared beyond measure. "Dorogaya moya" He whispered and slowly pushed the light brown coat she was hiding after aside, seeing her knees were pink. "Come here" No movement so he grabbed another coat to put it aside, finally revealing Lola who had her back pressed against the cold wall and was barely breathing. "Come to me, malysh" She didn't flinch and it became clear she was not going to approach him anytime soon. So he went closer, using slow movements, giving her time to adjust to the idea even if her body was futilely pushing against the wall as if it wanted to escape. When he was close enough she turned white and he tried his best to pull her closer without hurting her but it was futile because as soon as she was touched she began to kick him, using all the force she had.

"No!" She kept repeating. "No!"

"Shhh, malysh." He cooed, holding her close so she wouldn't struggle anymore and just then the realisation hit him – it was the first time he picked her up. She was reluctant to even hug him so picking her up has been out of discussion until now. "Lo~la" He hugged her close, stopping her movements. "Tell me, princess, has daddy ever hurt you?" Silent sobs began to crush her little body and he rubbed her back in circles, doing his best to calm her down. "That's it, let it all out, sweetheart, it's okay"

"No" She whimpered and buried her face in his shirt.

"Daddy would never hurt you, princess. I love you so much" He whispered in her hair, making sure he spoke loud enough for her to hear it. It took a few minutes for her to completely calm down and she fell limp against his chest, her little body trembling. He heard the doorbell so he realised the guests have arrived and decided to take a few more minutes to make sure the girl was completely fine. So he began to walk around the little space while slowly rocking her back and forth as she slowed down with the silent crying. "Is my baby girl okay now? Do you think we can go and have dinner with Yurio and Otabek?" She nodded after a while and he kissed her forehead. "Let's go and wash our faces"

When he got out he almost bumped into Yuuri who had concern written all over his face.

"I came to get you" He hesitated and Viktor leaned to kiss his lips.

"We're okay now, right?" Lola nodded and rose her puffy face to look at his other father, her eyes swollen from all the crying. The brunet leaned closer to kiss her cheek.

"I'll be waiting for you right there, okay?" He pointed towards the living room where Yuri's booming voice was coming from and she nodded shyly. "Okay." After that he went back to the younger couple while Viktor headed towards their bathroom where he placed her on the larger side of the bathtub edge and wetted a cloth with warm water. He then tended for the girl gently, holding her chin up with one hand and admiring her pretty face. She looked like a doll. When he was done he squatted by her and took her little hand in his.

"I want you to tell me why you hit me" It lasted a bit, she needed a few good minutes until her raspy voice could be heard.

"Huwt" Her voice was small and he finally realised what has been going on inside her mind this whole time. She thought he was hurting Yuuri when tickling him and it seemed obvious because he had tears of laughter and begged him to stop. Of course a child raised in a violent environment could only think of bad things but that was not the case at all.

"No, no, no, no." He murmured lowly. "I'd never hurt daddy, Lo. I love daddy a lot, sweetheart. We were having fun, we were playing" He explained and she blinked, unsure. "I would never hurt daddy – or you" He repeated and got up so he could pick her up and kiss her temple. He held her for a while, until the silence was interrupted by the growl of her stomach that made her sigh. "Are you hungry, baby?" She nodded. "I think daddy made some delicious food for us, we should go and eat it"

Once they entered the kitchen they were greeted by the skaters and surprisingly enough, Yuri didn't made any comment about how late they were, he simply eyed the child, worried.

"We're sorry for keep you waiting" Viktor said and was ready to put Lola in her chair when she grabbed on his shirt tighter. "Do you want me to hold you?" She nodded so he accepted, even if he knew it was almost impossible to eat with her in his lap but he didn't want to let go after what just happened. The food was served – it was an Italian dish Yuuri worked hard on and as soon as it was laid in front of them the girl didn't hesitate to grab on it with both hands and stuff her face, in a manner that made Yuri gasp.

"Easy, sweetheart" Yuuri tried but she was unstoppable and after she was done she asked for more and of course she wasn't refused because God – they never wanted her to be hungry but the way she ate made them worry a lot. At her second dish Yuri couldn't help himself from commenting.

"You can't let her eat like that, she'll throw up" The Japanese frowned – he didn't want to take the food away from her either but it was clear she would be sick if she continued.

"Lola" He called and she stopped devouring, lifting her face that was covered in sauce, realising everyone was staring. She didn't like that they were looking at her like she has done something bad so she dropped the food she was holding in both hands and began to tremble. "Are you still hungry, baby?" Yuuri asked, wanting to make sure he wasn't restricting any basic need and she shook her head, gulping. It was like something switched inside her and it was all visible. They had apple pie too but she didn't want to touch it, instead she went to pick her bunny and played with him as the "adults" had a long and pleasant talk. She was obviously not willing to entertain anyone, she just made sure every few minutes that they were still there.

When Yuri and Otabek finally left Viktor took care of the dishes as Yuuri bathed Lola and got her ready for bed. She was still wearing diapers so they needed to start working on that too but it was too late to think about that now so he preferred to dry her hair while singing softly to her. And now came the hard part – if she slept well the first night, the following one has been terrible because she woke up several times and they decided to simply let her sleep with them because she cried hysterically whenever she opened her eyes and saw she was alone.

"Now, is Mr. Bunny sleeping with us?" She nodded and hugged the toy tighter to her chest, like someone would want to take it away. "Okay, baby. Let's put a clean diaper on and then go to bed." Changing the diapers was mostly his job but Viktor didn't refuse to help, even if it was clearly not his favourite thing to do. He wanted to take a shower so he decided to ask Viktor to stay with Lo but the girl refused to be put down. "Only 10 minutes, sweetheart." She shook her head and was ready to burst into crying so he sighed and decided he would wash once she was asleep.

Lola fell asleep pretty easily and it was normal because they had a rather active day. Once he was sure she wasn't waking up anytime soon he moved to the living room where he found Viktor who was placing the leftovers in the refrigerator. Yuuri didn't wait to wrap his arms around Viktor's back, making the other turn around so he could hug him properly and kiss his head.

"She's asleep" He murmured and the Russian nodded before lifting his chin to kiss those soft lips he loved so much.

"Do you want a glass of wine?" Yuuri nodded so the other went to pour red liquid in two tall glasses and they sat on their loveseat, Viktor's arm wrapped around his husband's shoulders.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" The older man sighed, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

"She thought I was hurting you, I guess my actions triggered her" The brunet's eyes widened as he processed the words and the information clicked inside his brain, making a shiver crawling down his spine. "But I explained it to her and she finally gave in. She hid in the walk-in closet"

"Poor baby" The pale-haired man nodded. After half an hour of discussions and loving kisses Yuuri went to take his shower and they snuggled in the king-sized bed. The truth was that neither of them fell asleep right away, all kind of thoughts creeping on them. If Yuuri was used to the insecurities, Viktor began to feel like he was in his teenage years again, unsure of everything around him, scared that any wrong move would make everything crumble around him. He kept tossing and turning for a few good hours until the sleep finally took over him Lola woke up and began to whimper so they had to wake up once again and coo her. So far it happened two or three times a night and now it wasn't an exception.

Much to Yuuri's despair, Lola woke up really early, just like Viktor so he had to get up too because the girl refused to get out of bed without him. He managed to talk the doctor into programming them today so they got her ready, dressing her nicely and trying to explain they were going to meet a very nice lady that would make sure she was okay. Viktor had to meet his manager for lunch so he couldn't accompany them, which worried him a bit because it was the first time he would part with Lola for more than a few minutes. He was done putting her shoes on when he took her little hand and brought it to his lips to kiss it.

"Be a good girl for daddy, okay?" She nodded and he proceeded to press his lips against her cheek too. "I'll wait for you home after you're done" She held tighter on her bunny as she stared at him and Yuuri rubbed her back gently.

"Come on, sweetheart, let's go"

The man was slightly worried about this particular visit because Lola seemed very uncomfortable in crowded places and he was sure they weren't going to be alone because their doctor was rather skilled. He was also glad she was a woman because he knew the examination will go smoother with her than with any man. The cabinet was rather big so he saw on one of the chairs and placed Lola in his lap, waiting for her small feet to begin to slowly dangle.

Yuuri smiled when he saw a pair of twins – two girls, playing near them and they caught his stare because they waved at him, earning a wave back. They hesitated but after a few minutes they began to move closer and closer, talking loudly so they could be heard. Their mother seemed absorbed by a conversation with another parent so she didn't observe when they left, much to the man's amusement.

"What's your name?" They were talking to Lola and as soon as she met their stares she flinched, making Yuuri rub her sides gently, encouraging, even if he knew it was improbable they will get an answer.

"Lola" He said and kissed the nape of her neck. "Her name is Lola" His Russian accent was bad but his grammar was perfect after so many years of living in St. Petersburg (the many trials from his teenage years might have played a part in that too) and the little girl seemed dissatisfied by the strange words because she grew agitated. "They asked me your name, sweetheart" He explained and kissed her head. "I think they want to be your friends" The comment didn't affect her anyhow, she remained unmoved and he felt a tug at his heart.

When they were finally called to enter the office hell unleashed. She didn't want that strange woman to touch her, even if she was nice and her daddy explained to her that they needed to do that so they would make sure she is okay. So she started crying, the wails getting worse after the few vaccines – PVC, Rotavirus, Men B etc. When they were done she was still sobbing in Yuuri's shirt, not even wanting to look at the doc.

"It's okay, baby, it's all done now" He promised and kissed her head.

He told the woman about her behaviour when it came to eating so she recommended a nutritionist. Surprisingly enough she didn't have lice and Yuuri wondered how came they never thought about this – he knew it was common but he guessed they were simply lucky. She also wanted to make sure there wasn't any brain damage so she wrote them a reference for a good hospital.

"Lola, pretty girl" Dr. Golovanov called and she looked at her, sniffling but still surprised the woman was talking in English. "You've been such a good girl!" She praised and Lola looked up as if asking if he was agreeing.

"You are a good girl indeed" He smiled and she relaxed a bit. And he decided he could talk to Viktor to take her to their favourite sweetshop in town and treat her to something really good. They walked back home and stopped to buy groceries on their way, happy when finding Viktor already home, a big smile tugging on his lips.

"Look who is here! Welcome home!" He grinned widely and went to hug and kiss the both of them.

They decided to go to the park in the afternoon, after Lola's nap, and then have dinner out and they were ready to leave.

"Daddy!" They both turned around and saw Viktor put her dress inside out on her; they were still confused who she was calling for, though. So the Russian found a solution and went closer to her.

"How about you call me Papa so we know who you are talking to? Papa means daddy in my language so it's the same" She nodded and then raised her hands so he could put the dress properly. "Is my princess ready to play?" The girl answered by pulling on his hand on the way to the door, making him smile. "Okay, okay, but we need to wait for daddy." Yuuri went to the bathroom and as soon as Lo realised he was gone she ran in that direction, eager to find him, making Viktor chuckle. Their baby sure was something else.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading! I promise the next chapters will be better (I am doing my best but I still have exams going on -o-). I hope you enjoyed what you read so far; arigato for the lovely lovely comments - they make my days a lot better! See you next time!
> 
> Myshka = little mouse
> 
> Dorogoya moya = my dear
> 
> Malysh = baby


	6. Grasping On And Holding Tight

"I can't believe you're finally called daddy in a non-sexual way" Viktor burst into laughter at the petty comment of Christophe and the amusement grew once he saw his husband frowning behind the kitchen counter where he was working on their lunch. He winked at him and Yuuri sighed, preferring to continue to chop vegetables, rather than ask what was all that about because he was sure that his poor heart didn't need to know. He was amused by the "Ice daddy" thing that was going on all over the internet too.

"It's been a week, you better start believing it" The Russian pouted and Yuuri rose his eyebrows, wondering how could he look so young and innocent in his mid-thirties. He probably had to get used to it – Viktor was going to be gorgeous until the end; he smiled at his fanboy thought and then processed the words because it has been a week indeed. A week of them being parents, that was quite some time and he couldn't decide if it felt like forever or it was like they just adopted yesterday. Either way, it was perfect.

"How's she doing?"

"She's having her cat nap" The man sipped from his iced tea while looking at the screen and examining the beaming look on his friend's face. "Yes – it's possible!" But that was only because she had troubles sleeping at night, waking up several times and crying almost hysterically.

"I can't wait to see her!" Chris and his boyfriend, Dorian, were supposed to visit in a few weeks and honestly, everyone was enthusiastic because they were some of their closest friends and they always had a fun time together. "If she is as sweet as she seems in the pictures I might just die" So dramatic, both of them burst into chuckles.

"You must brace yourself, then. We're trying to potty train her. I've never imagined myself reading Uh, oh! Gotta go! or Once upon a potty."

The Swiss leaned on his arm with a wide grin and shook his head.

"With the first occasion I will need you to read that to me"

"Unfortunately – there are versions for little girls and little boys and I don't think we have what you need." Viktor teased back and the blonde laughed, relaxed.

"I think I can manage it. All I have to do is get you drunk." He was ready to protest when he realised they had company and he turned to see a familiar curly head that was peeking from behind the doorframe. Blue eyes were teary, obviously scared so he got up without warning and went to pick the child up, nuzzling her cheek.

"Hello, princess" He murmured and kissed her temple, wiping away the few tears that were wetting her warm skin. Whenever she woke up and saw they weren't near she started crying and as many times as they explained it to her that they were never leaving without her she wouldn't accept it. "Have you slept well?" She nodded with her face buried in his chest and he smiled when he saw Yuuri came to kiss her too.

"Welcome back, sleepyhead." The girl still clung to Viktor as his daddy explained they were having lunch soon and then going to the playground. She liked to go to the park with them, even if she never spoke to other children and insisted on Yuuri going with her everywhere. "We're having piroschkis – they're yummy" He promised and then went back to the boiling sauce that was sputtering dissatisfied. They were lucky that Lola was eating anything they gave her but her eating habits were still worrying them as she often got sick afterwards.

Viktor sat back on the sofa and looked at Chris who had his glasses on now and who gasped surprised at the sight, even if he couldn't see the face of the little girl's. The silver-haired man smiled, his hands gently rubbing her curled back and he kissed her head.

"Hello, ma cherie!" At the strange voice she changed her position and Viktor was worried a bit about the location of her knee.

"Look, there's Chris." Viktor pointed towards the screen she watched, frozen. "He's Papa's best friend" He murmured and she turned so she was now facing the camera, surprised to see herself on the screen.

"You're so pretty, Lola" At that she blinked rapidly and the blond smiled kindly. "Your daddies told me all about you – they told me what a good girl you are. You like cats, right?" She nodded so he disappeared for a moment to bring his cat closer, showing her white fur and blue eyes to the laptop. "This is Angelique."

She grabbed Viktor's arms as if she was trying to tell him how much she liked it and he leaned closer, pressing his cheek against hers.

"She's a beautiful kitty. Maybe you can bring her along when you visit."

"I can try but she hates planes." For the rest of the conversation Lola stood almost still and reacted only when she was asked something by the stranger man. When Yuuri said lunch was almost done she struggled to climb down and ran to him, being welcomed in another pair of arms.

They were going on walks every afternoon because they were aware that their daughter needed fresh air and activities and she seemed to agree the most with the playground. She was never complaining of anything, barely speaking but it was clear she liked more to whisper to her bunny at the sandpit or at the slides than to walk around aimlessly.

Sakakibara was happy to run too, sometimes chasing Lola and the other way around, making the couple smile. They were watching over her from a bench when she was with the puppy, taking pictures at times because they decided she needed lots of albums, even if it seemed old fashioned. She was coming to them from time to time, just to lean against their legs or grab them as if she made sure they were still there and it was not all in her imagination. At one point she dragged Viktor towards the sandpit where they began to build some type of tall silhouette, the man trying to guess what she wanted and help her pursuing it. It was hard because she almost never spoke but they were getting better at understanding her body language and they were encouraging her to use new words, even if there were days when she wouldn't open her mouth.

She looked over at Yuuri and the man smiled, waving at her. She waved once and turned to Viktor that was holding her bunny for her.

"She's a sweetie pie" The words in Russian startled him and he turned around to see it was a woman sitting on a bench near him. She was tall and her blonde hair was braided, making her look a bit more severe than she intended, probably.

"Thank you" The answer was short but that was only because he had no idea if he was supposed to continue the conversation.

"Mine's over there" She pointed towards a girl who looked around 6 or 7 years old, two piggy tails falling over her shoulders as she ran around with some friends, her pants dirty from so much climbing. "Darya"

"Lola" His voice was fond when speaking the word and he checked on them to see Viktor somehow ended on all fours, waiting for next commands. He was so smitten that Yuuri could barely contain his smile at the sight.

"Babysitting?" Well, the dots could be connected easily, she was Caucasian, brown hair, blue eyes, he was Asian, black hair, brown eyes, of course she would assume they were not related.

"No, she's my daughter" He then motioned towards Viktor. "And that's my husband over there." And that's where the conversation ended. In fact, he's been surprised when she even turned so she wouldn't face him anymore. Well, Russia was not exactly opened to gay relationships, let alone marriages and they were lucky not to face any violent homophobia before; he was used to the ignoring but he couldn't help but feel sad at how that might affect Lola's life. He couldn't understand how loving someone could be a stigma.

But he didn't say anything when his little family came to him, looking for napkins and water, he kept a smile on acted like he couldn't see the mean stares they were receiving. Viktor realised something was wrong and when he turned around he saw the many "traditional" people going back to their business so he picked Lola and placed her on the bench next to Yuuri to see the little bump on her knee – the one she earned earlier that day and that was covered by a patch with unicorns.

"Is the boo-boo better?" She nodded eagerly and then pointed to the edge of the patch that was creasy. "Do you need a new patch?" Another nod so he smiled and began to look through the bag, bringing all the offers to the light. They had Garfield patches, ones with unicorns and rainbows, with animals, butterflies and she pointed towards one with ladybugs. "This one?" He peeled the previous one gently and placed this new one before kissing her knee to make it better. When she was done she grabbed Yuuri's hand and pulled him towards the swings where he knew exactly what he had to do.

They stood until pretty late and tucked in early because the next day the furniture for Lola's room was arriving and they had to make sure everything was alright. The room was already painted but they decided not to let her see it until it was ready so she would have a bigger surprise. When the workers came by, Lola seemed very scared by all of them so Yuuri decided to play with her in their bedroom while Viktor made sure everything ended up perfectly. There were toys scattered all around the bed but she was still focused on the bunny and Yuuri realised there was something wrong with the toy.

"Can I see it for a bit?" She offered it to him hesitantly and he realised one ear was almost entirely pulled off the head. He had a missing eye too and per total, he was looking rather scary. "Do you want us to fix him?" Her eyes widened and she nodded so he got off the bed and began to look for the sewing kit he threw in one of the drawers. Yuuri learnt to sew when he was little because his mother often had him helping around the onsen and he hoped he could still remember the basics. He took a button too, for the missing eye and he gently tended for the stuffed animal, explaining every step because he felt Lola was tensing every time he moved his hand.

When he was done Mr. Bunny was looking decent, especially because he sewed some cute patches on him too.

"Look how pretty he is now" He murmured and ran his fingers through her honey curls. She leaned into the touch and he smiled, bending to kiss her forehead and pull her in his lap. "I love you, Lo" She closed her eyes at the words and he continued to pet her head gently, until Viktor came inside to tell them it was all done.

"Are you ready to see your bedroom, malysh?" She didn't answer because she wasn't sure what they were talking about but Viktor offered her his hand and after he took the other's they began walking towards the next door. When they stepped inside she gasped and her eyes widened as she looked around at the little paradise they built for her. It was friendly, it had everything a little girl could wish for and there were some extra toys placed on some shelves too so she got out a long sound that made them both smile and squat so they could examine her happy face.

"Do you like it, Lo?" She nodded so Yuuri rubbed her back. "It's all yours, sweetheart" He promised and she furrowed her brows.

"It's yours" Viktor accentuated the last word and kissed her soft cheek. "Let's look around" He took her hand to show her everything, even if they were sure she wasn't going to sleep in there for at least a few more weeks. It seemed incredible to her and they could understand that but they didn't want to encourage the thought of possessing nothing because they wanted to give her the world. The day passed by pretty fast and when the time came for sleeping she walked towards her bedroom and began to bring all type of things from there. Toys, a few books from the shelves, even some pillows with Disney princesses. When Yuuri came back from the bathroom he found a pile of things on their bed and saw Lola entering the room with a handful of Lego pieces.

"What are you doing, Lola?" He asked surprised and she looked up, as if cornered. She became teary right away and he went closer and kneeled by her side. "No, no, no need for tears, baby. Explain to daddy." But tears began pouring down her cheeks already so he pulled her in a hug that was meant to soothe her. "Sweetheart, I'm not mad, I promise. Daddy's not upset." But she couldn't explain so she simply continued to sob into his neck as he pulled her in his lap and rocked her while whispering calming words.

When Viktor saw what was going on he frowned confused but was by their side as soon as possible.

"What happened?" He couldn't stand seeing Lola crying like that so he caressed her little neck and back as she rested on Yuuri's chest.

"Mine?" It was the only word she spoke ever since this started and it got them both confused but she pointed towards the pile of things.

"Of course they're yours, princess" Viktor cooed and kissed her temple. "No one is going to take them away, I promise." It was mind-blowing for her, to know she possessed something and it was normal to act this way and not want to let it go. "You must trust us – when you wake up tomorrow they will still be there." She sniffled.

"Okay?" She nodded hesitantly. "Now let's take them back to your room" They helped her and after a few more promises and kisses she finally accepted the idea of leaving them there.

* * *

Viktor entered the room looking for things they needed to wash and was surprise when he felt a very bad odour enveloping him. It was curious because it couldn't have been Saka as he was trained but he didn't exclude the possibility, beginning to search around for the source. It was in one of the drawers so he began to pull all of them until he reached the last one and his mouth gaped when he saw what was inside. French fries, vegetables, small chocolate bars, all combined in a smelly mess because most of the food was old.

"Yuuri!" He called loudly and the man put the dishes he was drying on the table and went to see what was so urgent. When he entered the room his nose wrinkled in discomfort and Viktor turned around to look him in the eye. "Why is food in here?"

"Food?" There was no way he would put food anywhere beside the fridge or, to some extent, another place in the kitchen. He went closer and saw the little hoard that made him gasp, shocked. "Why is it here?" Lola, who has been following his steps exactly stopped by the door, probably intuiting that her secret was discovered and when they turned around she flinched.

"Lo?" Viktor tried but she didn't move, her little fingers grabbing the doorframe tightly. "Come here, rybka" She was already used to her Papa's strange nicknames so she knew she was the one being called but she refused to move. "Come here" She finally began to make small steps towards them, until Viktor picked her up and showed her the mess. "Did you put all the food here?"

She hid her face in his neck and nodded slowly because by their actions it was clear they were not pleased.

"Lola, look at me" Yuuri inhaled. "Food isn't supposed to stay in drawers or closets, it's supposed to stay in the fridge, okay? Otherwise it spoils and it smells yucky." He was sure there was some hidden reason behind it and as his brain started to think in that direction, Viktor already elucidated the mystery.

"Food is never going to miss." His thumb brushed her cheek gently. "You're never going to be hungry again." The brunet felt his eyes watering at the thought of her fearing that. That's why she was always eating so much – now hiding food – she was afraid of suffering again like that and they couldn't do anything to help her understand, she would only learn as time passed by.

"Don't hide food." He said a little more imposing than he meant to be. "If you're hungry you can always come to me or Papa and tell us and we will fix something for you." She understood, he could see that and he sighed. "Now we have to clean here"

They never raised their tones, they always tried to explain but this time Yuuri knew he needed to be a little harsher so she wouldn't repeat her actions. So he went to grab the cleaning utensils and after discharging the mess he began to rub the grease off the wood. It still smelt terrible. Viktor went to pick other things for washing and he took Lola along, knowing Yuuri needed some time to process. She was worried, flinching at every sound that came from the next room, her head raising when she heard the man talking on the phone, muttering some strange words.

"Daddy is from Japan so he can speak Japanese too." Viktor explained. "Just like Papa can speak Russian because I'm from Russia." She stood still while he sorted the clothes and put some to wash and then he offered her a hand and guided her to the living room where Yuuri was staring outside the window, still on the phone. She began to play with her cubes, building something with the nice, light green ones but she was obviously focused on the younger man, who turned around to offer her a glance before furrowing his brows and answering his mother's question. He had no idea what he did because he paying attention to the conversation but the impassive eyes made Lola get up and run to him. She had no clue about what she was supposed to do so she suddenly stopped, wanting to tug on his pants but unsure that was a good idea.

"Daddy" She whispered and Yuuri didn't hear.

"Daddy, our daughter is calling for you" Viktor helped and the man turned around to find the girl on the brink of tears, staring at him like the end of the world was near. He raised his brows and then offered her a gentle smile before petting her head. "I think princess needs a kiss-kiss." Yuuri grinned and bent to kiss her forehead and then her cheek, followed by her nose. She didn't smile because she was still worried and until he was done with the call she held tightly on his arm, forcing him to keep that position.

"Mom, I really have to go, I'll call tomorrow" He promised finally. "Viktor and Lola say hi" After saying goodbye he let the phone aside and concentrated on the girl. "What's the matter, Lo?"

"Lola good" She said, her voice filled with fierceness making his brown eyes to widen.

"Lola's a good girl, indeed" He agreed and she tightened the grasp on him.

"You're not upset anymore, are you, daddy?" Viktor encouraged the conversation from his place on the couch and Yuuri shook his head, a gentle smile steady on his lips.

"Of course not."

"Daddy" She repeated and he picked her up, feeling her arms wrapping around his neck. He didn't understood where the urgency came from but he decided he was going to give her what she needed, even if that meant her clinging to him all day long.

Their day went on normally and after Viktor and Lola fell asleep, Yuuri took his laptop and headed for the living room, knowing there was no chance of him falling into slumber so early. The truth was, he was exhausted but that was not enough to stop his owl-ish behaviour and make him tuck in. He decided to answer Phichit's messages and check his Instagram, grinning at the amount of photos he's been tagged in. Vikor was very active on social media and he had to admit he was good at taking pictures – his favourite was the picture he posted that morning, of Lola eating yoghurt with granola and fruits, her hair a mess and her cheeks puffy. He felt his heart swell at the sight and after hearting all the new posts of their friends he decided to check his email because his phone has been annoying him to the point where he simply put it on silent mode.

He had a few contracts he needed to check but something else caught his eye in the first place. It was called simply "Lola" and that intrigued him the most because he had no idea what that could be. He clicked on it immediately and pushed his glasses higher on his nose, his brows furrowing.

> _Dear Mr. Katsuki-Nikiforov,_
> 
> _You probably have no idea who am I and you probably have no interest in my existence at all. My name is Phoebe Bloom and helped by the internet I've found out that you and your husband adopted my daughter, Lola. The surprise was not little when I became aware of the fact that she was adopted by international celebrities and dragged across the world, as you are currently living in Saint Petersburg, Russia. I am sure the orphanage or the CPS informed you about her past and you have every right to choose not to answer me for I've been anything but a good mother but I want you to know that I've just been released from the rehabilitation institution where I spent the past four months and I'm doing my best to redeem my mistakes. I would love to meet her again, even if only for an hour and if you'd let me do that, I promise to completely disappear from your lives. As soon as you say yes – if you may – I will go and buy myself a plane ticket. Thank you very much for understanding; I am looking forward to your reply._

Yuuri was not confused, he was perplexed and after re-reading the mail again and again and again he leaned against the backrest of the sofa. He took a big breath in and as soon as he straightened his posture he decided he should do what was the best for all of them – so he began to type.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and for your support! I hope you won't hate me after this cliff-hanger of a chapter and that you will continue reading my family fluff ^o^ I wish you a nice week! Enjoy summer! x
> 
> rybka = little fish (yes, that is a real Russian pet name, most probably taken after the story of the golden fish)  
> malysh = baby


	7. Together

The tension could be cut with a knife but worried browns searched for icy blues, finding nothing because they were casted downwards as his finger was swiping distractedly through his Instagram feed, hearting pictures from time to time. Yuuri wasn't used to this – they rarely fought and when they did, they immediately reconciled but this time was different. Viktor's pained face still haunted him and he felt his skin crawl at the memory, his hands hurting under the cold water. As usual, his husband woke up early in the morning for his run with Saka and when he came back, Lola was still sleeping so he thought it was the perfect moment to tell him about the mail. They were having coffee when Yuuri began to talk and hell unleashed; there were no shouts, no crying but Viktor's disappointment was clear, nevermind the feeling of being betrayed – it was written all over his face. He mumbled a "Do whatever you want" and after that, the Japanese could almost feel him retreating in his shell.

So now, almost an hour later they were both in the living room, the silver-haired man completely oblivious to everything that was going on around him, both waiting for Lola to wake up. When she tiptoed to them, Yuuri opened his arms for her and she hurried towards the safe hold, burying her face in his chest.

"Good morning, princess!" He kissed her head and she turned to look at Viktor who smiled at her and went closer to kiss her cheek.

"Good morning, malysh!" She didn't say anything and clung onto the brunet as he got up and went to prepare the breakfast they all needed. Yuuri continued to talk to her, explaining to her everything he or they were doing so she would feel included but also because there was a buzzing voice that didn't let him be. His eyes were attracted to where his husband was staying, their puppy settled in his lap while his hands were caressing him and his warm voice was whispering in Russian.

They didn't have a proper conversation and he hated that. He hated when he was shut out without a chance to explain himself but he couldn't force Viktor into listening to him. He let out a long sigh when they all sat at the table and observed that Lola was looking back and forth between them, probably feeling their discordance. In the mornings they were usually very close, just like they were during the rest of the day – touching briefly, holding hands, kissing and hugging.

"What's the matter, zaichik?" Viktor's voice startled both of them and when his fingers brushed through her messy hair the girl sighed but sustained her stiff posture. "Do you want me to braid your hair after breakfast?"

"I think you'll look so pretty after Papa will fix your hair" He was trying to start a conversation but received nothing but the cold shoulder.

Viktor was the only one fixing her hair as he was an expert – 10 years of long hair have taught him a lot when it came to all types of hairstyles and today he decided for one fishtail braided ponytail. She stood still, being a good girl easily because her Papa was very gentle with her hair, understanding that her locks were rather difficult. When he was done he kissed the back of her neck and she ran towards Yuuri who was preparing tea. She tugged on his pants and he smiled, looking at the masterpiece.

"Such a beautiful girl" He praised. "What cup do you think Papa would like for his tea?" She pointed towards the light blue one which had dots all over and he smiled as he took it from the shelf.

Viktor was playing with Lola when Yuuri came to ask him if he needed something from the grocery store cause he was going for a quick trip there, as they needed some more milk.

"No." He said without looking at him, his fingers busy with pink Lego pieces. The Japanese sighed, disarmed by the dynamics and sat on the armchair that was most close to them, admiring their building. Viktor was a wonderful father, just like he knew he would be but the way he was acting was silly and futile.

"Stop this" He said after a while and that was for the first time he received a look - a long and pressuring stare followed by a grimace.

"Stop what?"

"Vitya"

"Don't Vitya me –"

"You're acting childish" Yuuri was surprised by his snarl but before he could apologise the older man exploded.

"I'm not childish, I'm upset! I can't believe you were so tactless, that you didn't ask about my opinion before answering that woman! It's not all about you, Yuuri, it's about me too, it's my family too, you know?" His tone escalated with each word until Lola finally burst into sobs because of the scary sounds her Papa was making. She never saw them arguing before so Viktor pulled her in a tight hug, rubbing her back. "It's okay, baby, Papa didn't mean to speak so loud, I'm sorry." He whispered and kissed her forehead, trying to cease her on-going cries.

He got up, still holding her tightly and began to walk around the room, rocking her gently and continuing to coo her. He looked at his husband only for a second before focusing on the little girl.

"We need to talk about this."

"The time for talking was before you sent that email and made a decision for both of us."

"So what are you going to do? I'm sorry Viktor, I understand that I was wrong but you can't continue to act like that." The discussion was going in an unpleasant direction once again so Yuuri decided it was time for him to get out of the house.

Not a single word was spoken until the Russian finally announced he was going to be out for the evening, not giving any detail on where he could spend his time. It was not that Yuuri didn't trust him, it was just that he got so worried every time he had no idea where the other was, thinking about the worst case scenario and imagining all types of unfortunate events so when dinner time came and the man was not back he tried to reach him through the phone, surprised to find it was turned off. It was late and Lola was beginning to feel unsettled, not used to be apart from Viktor for so long so Yuuri decided to go to the only place where he was sure he was going to find him. He called for a cab and after they changed their comfortable clothes for ones in which they could wear outside, the car followed the familiar road towards the ice-rink, parking in front of the imposing building. The lights were on and the man was sure that there was only one person inside and that was his husband.

He had to be patient and wait for Lola to make her small steps towards the ice-rink, hearing the ice swishing clearer and clearer with each moment. And there he was – Viktor Nikiforov, the living legend, skating around in circles, attempting small jumps from time to time and performing them perfectly, as expected. He always skated when he wanted to clear his mind, it was his hide-out and he looked beautiful, embraced by the coldness that made him iconic. No matter how much it pained to know he was heavily burdened by thoughts, it would have been hypocritical of him to say he didn't enjoy seeing him skating once again.

He tightened the grasp on the little hand that was covered by his and looked down at Lola.

"Isn't Papa amazing when he skates?" She nodded, though not entirely sure what that meant or how he could jump like that and they continued to look, Yuuri picking her up as soon as she began to change her weight from one leg to another. It took a few good minutes for Viktor to realise he had company and as soon as he saw them he began skating towards the edge, feeling like a cat that was caught while eating the cream.

"Hey" He said simply and smiled gently once he reached them. "What are you doing here?"

"We got worried because you didn't answer your phone, right, Lo?" She nodded and leaned so she could signal that she wanted Viktor to pick her up. So he did, even if he was on skates, knowing there were low chances of dropping her or falling. Once she was clinging on his neck she looked downwards at what seemed like a funny pair of shoes and pointed towards them.

"Do you like my skates, dorogoya moya?" She nodded. "Maybe daddy and I could buy you your own pair and teach you how to skate" He smiled and kissed her little ear. "I'm sorry for missing today, Lo. We should go home"

Yuuri felt relieved to see he was fine and all the way home he didn't speak a lot, making the ride seem longer than it actually was. The truth was, he was exhausted – he hated fighting with Viktor more than anything in the world and he hoped the other felt as tired as he was because he couldn't go on like this for another day. He knew they had yet to talk about what happened and he knew already how wrong he was and he was ready to apologise as many times as it was needed if that meant having his husband back. At home Viktor decided he should be the one bathing and changing Lola so he could make up for the lost hours and once he was done, they had a sleeping little girl in the middle of their king-sized bed.

Viktor headed for the living room where he found Yuuri checking something on his laptop and he sat beside him on the sofa, feeling Saka immediately climbed on his lap, begging for the attention that he immediately received. The puppy was wiggling his tail happily, contradicting their actual mood and the silver-haired man was ready to give up on any idea of a conversation when his husband left his laptop aside and turned towards him. They blinked rapidly.

"Lola's sleeping."

"Good" Was all he managed to answer and then leaned so he could pet Saka too. "Can we talk now?"

"I guess so." Yuuri's hand moved from the dog's fur to the other's fingers which he grasped gently, their eyes meeting once again.

"I am so sorry, Vitya." His voice was filled with regret and Viktor exhaled, feeling his body become lighter. His fingers linked with his husband's on top of their pet's back and the brunet smiled a bit, almost cautious.

"I know you are and I am sorry I've been so cold but I was and still am upset about what happened, Yuuri." When he usually called his name he would always drag the last syllable but this time that familiarity lacked. "But we can't change anything now, it's all done already. You could have woken me up or waited until the morning to answer her but instead you decided for the both of us and that makes me think you don't value my opinions at all."

"That's not true – Viktor!"

"Well, that's the impression you left me. And it is about Lola, our daughter. Have you thought that she might feel something about this too?"

"She's three and a half, she couldn't make such a decision."

"You agreed to let a woman who abused her in the past come and see her." Yuuri frowned – it was not like that, it was not.

"She wants to see her daughter for one last time, it would be inhuman not to let her do that!"

"Lola starved when she was with her! She was beaten by the men who were her lovers! I think she doesn't have the right to want anything like that and I don't want her near our child. OUR child, not hers, never hers!"

"What if she will hate us for keeping her from her mother if we don't agree to this?"

"I am afraid she will hate us for letting that woman approach her. She is getting better, Yuuri and all that meeting will do is to take us back to the start line."

"You don't know that!" Yuuri raised his tone, something strongly uncharacteristic. He knew Viktor had a strong point there but he also believed in people changing and he didn't want to hide anything from Lola, she didn't want them to despise them for never letting her see her mother. All children loved their mothers, right?

The Russian knew his husband came from a safe place and probably couldn't understand; he also knew he couldn't entirely understand either but one thing he knew for sure – after his mother abandoned him and didn't contact him for years he wanted nothing to do with her. The only relative he had was Yakov and there was no blood connection, only years of caring.

"Vitya –" His blue eyes closed and he pinched the bridge of his nose while leaning against the cushions.

"Okay." Yuuri's mouth opened. "We will meet her. But not in our home." The man nodded, receptive at the request. "And she won't be allowed anything that would make Lola uncomfortable."

"Of course not." He scooted closer and after a beat, the silver-haired man leaned against him, inhaling deeply the familiar scent he was enveloped in.

"I hate it when we fight." Yuuri turned to kiss his forehead, still feeling guilty to have caused all that. "But I'm still mad."

"I'm sorry." Viktor knew, he really did; he turned so his lips were pressed against his lover's neck, feeling the lovely pulse. He felt the breathing quickening and he smiled a bit, feeling the tension finally beginning to break. He got up so he could properly kiss the parted lips that were waiting. It was soft at first but then it turned passionately, quickly filled with neediness, limbs clinging at everything they could reach. Yuuri ended in Viktor's lap and they were both impossibly turned on when they parted. Viktor's cold hands began to roam under his husband's shirt as they kissed chastely again and again and Yuuri had to grab them to stop him from going further.

"Hm?"

"We can't." His voice was trying but was failing miserably to sound sternly. He wanted to but... "Lola"

"You're right." The other left out a long sigh and initiated a long embrace. The silence was serene so they kept their mouths shut for a while, knowing they needed it badly. It seemed like hours until one of them spoke. "I love you"

"I know – I love you too and I hope you will forgive me because I really am sorry." The answer was another slow kiss and after that they went to shower and straight to bed.

* * *

Lola was watching both of them cautiously. She woke up a few minutes ago and surprisingly enough, her parents were still sleeping so she remained quiet, knowing she had to be a good girl. She had to be a good girl, otherwise her daddies would take her back to that big house filled with children and she didn't like that – she liked having her own room, running around with Saka, going to the park and eating all kind of good things. She also liked her daddies a lot even if sometimes she had no idea how to act around them. And now the pressure in her tummy began to grow and she winced because she needed to go potty really bad but she couldn't tell anyone because she didn't want to upset them. They were already acting weird, she wanted to go back to the time before, when they were kissing and hugging all day long and when they were happier. She tried her best but in the end her body gave out and she began to cry as soon as she felt her pajamas getting wet, knowing she will be in trouble for this.

Yuuri opened his eyes when he heard a loud sob and met Lola's scared expression so he got up and saw the mess under her. The wetness crept on both sides so he picked her up.

"Vitya" he called and the man mumbled in his sleep before turning to the other side. He was extremely tired so there was no surprise he wanted to rest some more. He concentrated on the little girl who was still crying and got up, heading for the bathroom where he put her down, making her cling to his leg, scared. "Lola, sweetheart" He cooed. "We talked about this, whenever you need to go potty you have to tell us." He said and started a lukewarm bath, knowing she needed that. She was obviously very scared, being one of the first times she directly did something they expressly told her not to.

"D-daddy" She whimpered and he turned around, watching her terrified eyes.

"Yes, baby?" Her arms rose in a manner that indicated she wanted to be held so he squatted and pulled her in a hug, his shirt already ruined. His Lola was trembling like a leaf so he held her tightly and kissed her head again and again. "That's my good girl, it's okay, nothing bad happened, we will wash everything. But you have to tell us when you need potty, okay?" She nodded, clinging to him. Her daddy didn't look happy yesterday and she didn't want to make him sadder.

He slowly undressed her, cautious as always and then placed her in the water, gently washing her little body after putting her hair up in a bun. He was getting better at dealing with her hair. There were some scars on her tummy and arms and he always felt anger boiling his blood whenever he saw them but he kept his smile on as he cared for her, talking this entire time to make her feel more comfortable. He was drying her body with a fluffy towel when Viktor came in, a frown on his face.

"Yuuri – the entire bed is wet." At that, Lola's bottom lip began to quiver so the brunet smiled and turned to his husband while holding her close.

"Oh, come on, Papa, we'll wash it and it will go away. Lola's very sorry." She nodded hurried, afraid she might be rejected and Viktor blinked. "You're not mad, are you?"

"I am not." He stepped closer and kissed Lola's head. "Good morning, malysh!" He smelled the nape of her neck and smiled because it smelled like strawberries. "Lovely strawberry girl." He then moved to his husband, pressing his lips chastely against his. "You smell like pee." They both burst into chuckles and Yuuri slapped his shoulder gently, faking annoyance. "Yuu~ri! Don't hit me in front of our daughter!"

"You deserve it, Katsuki-Nikiforov!" His face split because of the grin that couldn't be postponed and he earned another sound kiss. Blue eyes followed them curiously and after a few moments, Lola understood her daddies were not sad anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I know this chapter was more Viktuuri than Lola-centric but it was still revolving around her and I hope you liked it! Have a wonderful week! xx
> 
> zaichik - bunny


	8. The Lucky Ones

The tension made its appearance ever since they opened their eyes because the day they both feared finally came. They tried to keep it under control and acted normally but Lola felt it too because she seemed more cautious than ever. It pained them to see their daughter was so strict with herself and they would remind her every time there was no need to act in a certain way around them but she simply wouldn't relax. They discussed and decided it was the best to tell her they were meeting someone but not tell her who because calling her Lola's "mother" might confuse her.

The meeting place was one of the few restaurants Lola really seemed to enjoy – probably because it was children friendly and a toy train served the dishes to the table. They were supposed to meet for lunch and around 12 Yuuri's stomach began to turn upside down because of the tension. Right now, he wasn't so sure of his decision but there was no backing out of this so he sighed and went to find his little family inside the living room. They were playing with dolls and Yuuri smiled at the lovely image – sometimes he wondered where was Viktor's unlimited patience coming from. He was obviously the best father that there could be. The brunet's thoughts were immediately clouded by the conversation they had last night, after Lola fell asleep.

_They were in bed, Viktor reading and Yuuri checking his Instagram when the Russian let the book aside and turned towards his husband that immediately looked at him._

_"Yuu~ri" He whispered and offered a hand, trying not to disturb the little human in between them. The man took it and placed a soft kiss to the white and long fingers. "I am worried, I can't concentrate."_

_Black eyebrows furrowed above kind eyes._

_"Why worried?"_

_"What if she takes Lo away from us?"_

_"Don't be silly, Vitya, she can't do that. Lola is our daughter - legally." The silver man sighed long._

_"Legally; but what if Lola wants to go back to her – I don't know how I would react if she would want to leave us." Yuuri understood now, he never thought of that. Lola was happy with them, she wouldn't leave, would she?_

_"We won't know until tomorrow, there is no use to worry beforehand." The other nodded and squeezed tighter the fingers he was holding on to. "Whatever happens, we will be together, okay?"_

_"Okay"_

He was brought back to the present by his husband calling his name and immediately smiled at the sight of him holding their daughter.

"Shouldn't we get ready to leave?" He nodded and then picked Lola to go and change her. She still had problems with the potty so he put a diaper on preventively and after that he changed her into a t-shirt with giraffes and a pale pink overall that suited her perfectly. She was almost done, all she needed was her hair to be done because it got messy ever since the morning so Viktor stepped in, braiding two pigtails with all the gentleness possible.

"What a pretty girl." He kissed her little ear and picked her up, going to announce they were ready.

They took a cab and Lola seemed to feel something was off because she was clinging to them even tighter, holding on Viktor's arm with a hand and her bunny with the other. They had no details whatsoever about the woman because, truly, they desired none but Yuuri was supposed to receive a message once she arrived so they realised they arrived first. They picked a table and decided what they were to eat, trying not to delay Lola's program of eating – they also ordered coffee and a orange fresh for Lola who was staring intently at the toy train moving around.

"We can have ice-cream after we eat." Yuuri promised and kissed her soft cheek when her eyes widened. They had small talk, trying to involve Lola too but barely having her whispering two words, when Yuuri realised there was someone staring at them. His eyes easily found the familiar features and he was taken aback by the image of the woman because she looked so much like Lola. She was also very young, younger than them, it seemed. Viktor was too preoccupied by talking to Lola to realise what was going on so he acknowledged her presence only when she took a seat and so did the little girl.

"It's very nice to meet you" She said and Viktor nodded suspiciously while Yuuri extended his hand to shake hers. Lola stopped moving and for a moment Viktor thought she stopped breathing only to realise it was him who was holding his breath. He feared that she would recognize her and demand to go back but as soon as the Phoebe rested her eyes on her she grabbed Viktor's hand so tight it was almost painful. "Hello, sweetheart, do you remember me? I'm your mommy."

At that she began to whimper and big tears began to roll down her cheeks, turning her face into a picture of pain and fear. She threw her arms in the air towards Viktor and she was immediately picked up and he began to gently rock her, cradling her head with care.

"No, princess, there's no need for crying" He whispered in her hair, feeling her sobs growing louder and louder. "Daddy and Papa are here with you, okay? Nothing bad can happen when we're with you, I promise. Papa can hold you all the time." They understood there bad memories were triggered and it pained them to see her like this but they were also relieved she didn't go straight to her mother, looking for affection.

"I guess it's normal –" Yuuri's voice was crude but his protective mode was on so there was no help.

"I just wanted to see her again." She whispered.

"I didn't agree at first but realised it was Lola's choice" Viktor said, his tone a lot firmer than the one he just used to calm down his daughter. "We did all this for her, not for your good. I didn't and don't want to have anything to do with you."

The woman's lips twitched displeased but she knew she couldn't contra-attack.

"I was intoxicated at that time, I never meant for Lola to be hurt."

"But she was." Yuuri stated. "She still is and we work every day to put the pieces back together and make sure she understands how loved she is and how much she deserves. How old are you?"

"22"

"You had her very young, then. Do you know who the father is?" Viktor asked, continuing to gently caress Lola's limp body that was now resting on his chest.

"He ran away as soon as he found out I was pregnant. He was too young to be a father." Her words were small and she reached to grab the little fingers grasping on Viktor's light blue shirt but as soon as Lola felt the touch she brought both her hands to her chest, hiding them from everyone. Viktor felt a tug on his shirt and when she started crying louder he decided to get out of that place and make sure she will be fine.

"Excuse us for a bit."

"She is obviously uncomfortable with you touching her so I would appreciate if –" Yuuri said and she nodded, her eyes pained.

"Of course. I should have imagined there is no way back now." She looked at the tall frame walking outside the door, cries still echoing into the room. She was disappointed, which was silly because she thought she didn't expect anything in the first place.

"Everyone must live with consequences, Ms. Bloom." He looked worried himself, in fact he would have wanted to hold Lola and coo her but he knew Viktor would manage that by himself. "One of the reasons why I accepted your offer was because I – we have some questions."

"Of course, you have the right to know everything." She looked nervous though and kept staring at the door, waiting for the two to come back.

"Did your lovers pay you for sexual services?" Her blue eyes widened and she gasped. She didn't expect such a frank conversation but she couldn't not answer because they saved her child's life and they deserved the truth.

"Yes" Her voice was small and she looked at her hands that began to fumble with a white napkin. The waiter came to ask if she wanted anything and until he was gone Yuuri kept silent, feeling his stomach turning at the brand new information. He didn't know if he was ready for what was going to follow but as he didn't plan to keep talking to her he needed to take it all in at once – it was the only chance they had. "When I found out I was pregnant and Lola's father left I ran away from home. It wasn't that my parents kicked me out but I – it was a rebellious phase. I regret it even now but back then I couldn't imagine going back and once I started taking drugs there was no chance for that to happen. I stole money from them and until Lola was born I managed living on my own but the money weren't enough and babies need a lot of things and –" She gulped. "So I started going out with an older man who gave me money and then came another and another."

"You didn't take drugs during the pregnancy." Yuuri furrowed his brows.

"No, not a drop of alcohol nor a cigarette either."

"That's good, that's very good." He exhaled, feeling a little more relaxed. "Do you have any idea if Lola ever saw you with any of your... men?"

"While being intimate you mean? I have no idea. I don't know but it's probable. There has been – someone who locked her in the bathroom whenever we..." Yuuri felt the need to vomit at the idea. He could imagine a very small child crying alone inside a bathroom, scared to death.

"What kind of mother are you?!" His tone was accusatory but damn, he had all the rights in the world to act like that. "How could you let them do that to her?"

"We were depending on them."

"It doesn't matter! She was your child, how could you treat her that way?"

"I was barely realising what I was doing, it was all a blur and we needed money for food." Yuuri's head was filled with numerous photos of a very skinny Lola, her ribs showing clearly and her legs barely carrying her around.

"She's been starving"

"In the last few months, yes. I am sorry..."

"Lola's obviously not happy to see you and I want her to disconnect completely from those years." It was a gentler way of saying "you will never see her again" and she understood, nodding once. "I would be very grateful if you could send any information about the family medical history."

"I will see what I can do."

"Have you ever abused her?"

"No, of course not. I loved her, I still do." Yuuri felt a shiver crawling down his spine at the words.

"Not enough."

A pregnant silence filled the room and soon the waiter came with all their dishes, placing them carefully on the table, unaware of what a crushing conversation just took place.

* * *

Viktor felt like he was going mad. As soon as that woman tried to touch Lola he saw red so he decided it was better to leave than to cause a scene and scare the poor baby further. So he exited the room with a wailing girl in his arms and headed for a little playground that was placed outside the building and that was filled with children.

"Lo~la" He sang softly and she looked up at him, her face swollen and filled with tears, her nose snotty. He grabbed a napkin from one of his pockets (having children turned you into a napkin-carrier) and wiped her cheeks and nose gently. "There's my lovely girl." He smiled and kissed her cheek, his heart breaking because tears were still escaping her beautiful blue eyes.

"P-pa-pa" She sobbed, her voice raspy.

"Yes, love, Papa is here with you." He cupped her head with a large hand and kissed her forehead before sitting down on one of the wooden benches. "Papa will keep you safe." He said and she cuddled closer, resting her head on his chest as her body was still trembling. She could barely breathe because of the crying so he rubbed her back gently, encouraging her. "Breathe, sweetheart, everything is okay."

"No l-leaf, Papa" She mumbled after about half a minute and he looked down, his eyebrows furrowed.

"What?"

"No leaf" She said again, this time louder and Viktor began to search through his mind hoping he would figure out what those words could mean. When he realised what she was talking about his eyes widened and he let her slid on his lap and waited for her to look at him.

"Lola, no one is leaving, sweet girl." His voice was patient and she gasped, her eyes still watery. "No one in this world could take you away from Daddy and Papa and we won't ever leave you." He kissed the top of her button nose and rubbed her back when she pressed her cheek to his chest, bending slightly. "We love you – you're our baby" He continued and smiled sadly because he hoped that one day all these doubts would vanish and she would understand she was going to forever be their beloved child.

Some children were running around and he watched them partly amused but also somewhat distracted while continuing to coo his daughter. They stood in silence until he felt all her sobs subsiding and the whimpering disappearing. It broke his heart to see her this panicked and a part of him blamed Yuuri and himself for allowing such thing but he decided he was not going to bring up the subject ever again because he didn't want more fighting. All he wanted was to take Lola home and for them to continue to live happily, without being disturbed by such things.

He began to sing softly a Russian lullaby he picked up when he was a child and she exhaled loudly, sniffling and enjoying the soft voice. He grabbed another napkin and made her blow her nose and after that he kissed her puffy cheeks.

"Beautiful girl" He smiled and she looked at him curious. "Do you want Papa to put you on a swing?" He pointed towards the colourful ones that had safeties on and she nodded shyly. He wanted to distract her for as long as possible and decided playing might do just that. So the little girl was placed in the too-large seat and he checked a few times that everything was safe before he began to gently push her, making sure she was holding on tightly. "Make sure you don't fly away from me, okay?" He grinned and she turned around, her brows furrowing. She didn't intent to fly anywhere.

She was getting dizzy when one of the waiters approached Viktor.

"You're being asked to go back inside, sir." He blinked, a bit confused and realised Yuuri probably sent him.

"Of course, thank you." He stopped the swing and picked Lola up, kissing her cheek soundly. "Is my baby girl ready to go back to Daddy?" She hesitated but finally nodded when she grabbed a fistful of his shirt. "You can stay in Papa's or Daddy's lap all the time, okay?" Once he got her approval they entered the fair cold place and Viktor took a moment to appreciate the fact that there was conditioned air. Both Yuuri and Phoebe were quiet when they approached the table and Lola pressed her cheek against Viktor's chest, looking intently at her Daddy.

"Hello, princess! I see you're a lot better now" He said and touched the back of her leg, tickling her briefly. She stared at the woman and then raised a hand towards Yuuri.

"Do you want Daddy to hold you?" She nodded shyly and the brunet took her in his arms right away, kissing her head. They were glad they were sitting on the opposite side of the table because that meant they were as far of Ms. Bloom as possible and Lola could be as relaxed as the situation let her be.

There was a lot of food on the table and as soon as the little girl saw it she bent to grab something with her hand but was stopped by Viktor.

"No, no, we talked about this – we use forks and spoons" He instructed and she frowned but as soon as soon as he could he offered her a spoonful of smashed potatoes and she relaxed a bit, waiting for the following one. She ate very fast and as worried as that still made them they tried to soothe the infinite hunger inside of her, never denying her anything. There were some people staring, surprised by how hurried she gulped, barely breathing but they didn't care at all, all they wanted was their daughter to be alright. They already talked to a psychologist and a speech therapist but they wanted to take one step at a time and let everything go on naturally.

"She sure eats a lot." Phoebe said and at the words Lola looked up, her lips still smacking as she chewed. She seemed hypnotised by the words and when the next spoon arrived she shook her head, which was surprising for everyone.

"Is your tummy filled already, sweetheart?"

She nodded and sighed when Yuuri threw Viktor a worried look.

"Are you sure, Lo?" The Japanese asked and she nodded, shifting uncomfortable in his lap. "Okay, tell us if you want anything, okay?"

They had small talk and the girl continued to snuggle against Yuuri while they were making conversation, obviously relaxed at the touch. Viktor would take her hand in his and kiss her from time to time, making sure she knew he was there too. The Russian was very curious about everything that happened while they were outside but decided to ask his husband once they got home, thinking it was futile to bring up such bothering subjects and get angry once again. It was selfish of him but he was happy that Lola didn't want anything to do with that woman. Before they parted, Yuuri offered to pay for everything and as much as Phoebe tried to refuse it was futile because he really wanted to make this one last kind gesture.

They were rather stiff when they said goodbye and Ms. Bloom's eyes were clouded by tears. She looked at the little being she gave life to, realising this was the last time she was going to see her. The truth was, deep inside her heart, she hoped for a second chance – she didn't dream of taking her out of the loving family she now had but she thought about seeing her once in a while. But the damage was done, she couldn't go back and it was all her fault; she was going to walk away proud and thankful that her Lola was surrounded by so much care.

They were outside the restaurant and Yuuri was holding their daughter when the petite woman offered them a wide smile.

"It was a pleasure to meet you! Lola is a very lucky girl to have such loving dads." She said and Viktor sneaked an arm around Yuuri's waist.

"We're the lucky ones, believe us." Was the brunet's answer and a few teardrops escaped blue eyes that were taking in the last moments Phoebe had to spend with her child. She wanted to hold her but she knew she couldn't so she simply stepped closer and looked at her, smiling between tears.

"I'm sorry, Lola, I love you." There was no reply and Viktor offered her a napkin that she took thankfully.

"We wish you well!" He said formally and spotted their cab, deciding it was the time for them to leave. They were silent during the ride home, mostly because they had no idea what they could talk about while their minds were running so wildly and Lola fell asleep with her head on Yuuri's lap so Viktor carried her to their room where he covered her with a blanket and where Saka cuddled by her side, happy they were back. They were still shook so they headed towards the living room and Yuuri decided to brew some tea for both of them, which he soon poured in colourful cups. He left them on the coffee table because the liquid was still boiling hot and snuggled into his husband's waiting arms, burying his face into the crook of his neck.

"Hey" Viktor muttered and kiss his forehead before searching for his waiting mouth. "Better?"

"Yes" He snuggled better, ending on his husband's lap. "You were right, it wasn't a good idea." The silver haired man hummed but didn't say anything that could make the other feel worse because he knew Yuuri's mind was already filled with worries. He was simply like that.

"What did you talk to her?" A long sighed followed and the younger slid back on the couch, resting his head on Viktor's shoulder.

"Lola, she – she saw things, Vitya. She probably saw all kind of perverted things, she saw her mother snorting drugs, she must have been so scared. Those men beat Phoebe too, there's no wonder she's so scared by every sudden movement."

The Russian took his hands in his and brought them to his mouth to kiss them, trying to focus on the fact that it was all in the past. No one could harm their Lola now.

"It's all done, zoloste." He sighed when he saw chocolate browns were glistening.

"But how could she?" A large hand caressed his cheek and soft lips pressed against closed eyelids, trying to soothe his pain.

"That doesn't matter anymore, solnyshko, she's with us now, she's never going back." Yuuri nodded – he knew that but sometimes he was overwhelmed by the cruelty of her past.

"She told me she will send me the medical history of their family." He whispered after a while.

"That's the least she could do." Viktor agreed and kissed a flushed cheek lovingly. Soon enough they began to savour their tea, even turned on the TV but they were clearly not over what happened earlier that day.

"Are you mad at me?" Yuuri's voice was faint and the older man quirked a brow, unsure. "Because I insisted on seeing her and Lola suffered because of that..."

"Yuu~ri!" He smiled gently. "Now we won't ever be wondering what kind of person Lola's mother is, now we know all we needed to know." He encouraged and kissed his husband's temple. The spirits calmed down and they were relaxed when a loud wail ripped the atmosphere so Yuuri got out of the embrace and hurried towards the bedroom. As soon as he entered he saw Lola was ready to climb down the bed and he picked her up right away, hugging her close.

"Hey, sleepy head" He murmured and kissed her forehead, wiping her tears away. "It's okay, Papa and I were drinking tea right there" He pointed towards the living room and began to walk towards the place, knowing Viktor was probably ready to join them any moment. When he saw them his eyes lit and he got closer o kiss her cheek himself.

"Welcome back, princess!"

"Papa, I think our baby wants some tea too, right?" Lola nodded and Viktor pressed his lips against her head one more time before he parted and went to accomplish his task. Yuuri sat on the couch where he kept rubbing her back soothingly, waiting for her whimpers to cease. When she finally received her cup she began to drink greedily and her eyes widened because her daddies were already making plans.

"I think we need to play a lot, Daddy" Viktor looked at his daughter and winked. "To make up for all the time we lost during lunch."

"That sounds perfect, right, Lo?" All it took was her nodding for their words to come true.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! All I can say is that the next chapter involves some bonding moments with special guests *wink wink* Your comments are welcomed and I hope you will have a marvellous week! xx


	9. Extra Guests

When Christophe Giacometti entered your house it was as clear as daylight. He was usually so enthusiastic about visiting that he texted Viktor until he got outside the door, informing him of every step; for as long as they knew each other it has been this way and truthfully, they wouldn't change anything about their friendship. Yuuri was checking on the food and Viktor was playing with Lola in the living room when they heard knocks on the door and the Russian got up, a big grin playing on his lips. He saw the alarmed look on his daughter's face so he picked her up and kissed her head.

"We have guests, malysh." Once he opened the door he took a step back, knowing the little girl needed some time and some space so she could handle the flamboyant personality of his best friend.

"Baby bee!" Chris almost shouted and was ready to initiate a hug but stopped in tracks when he saw the tiny human that was now burying her face in her father's shoulder. She was wearing a polka dots blue dress and had white knee high socks on, the picture making the blond smile brightly at her and drop all the bags he was holding.

"Chris, it's so nice to see you!" Viktor replied and behind the Swiss appeared a brown-haired head that he identified as Dorian, Chris's lover. They've been together for a long time now and they were some of their closest friends, so different yet so compatible. "They're Chris and Dorian, do you remember them, zaichik? We've talked to them before." Well, mostly to Christophe but she shouldn't be alien to the British man either because he greeted her on various occasions. She shook her head and Chris came closer to take her small hand in his, making her fuss in Viktor's arms.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Lola!" He said and turned to Dorian that dropped the luggage himself, his face split in two by a huge smile that made its appearance at the lovely sight. "Look how cute she is!"

"Hello, Lola" He added and strangely enough she seemed to be more perceiving of his words.

"We just need a little more time to make friends, right?" Viktor asked the girl and kissed her cheek before they all heard steps hurrying in their direction.

"Welcome!" Yuuri grinned and took turns in hugging the both of them, happy to see familiar faces; he didn't seem to miss the bags. "Are you moving in with us?"

"No, no, they're just some small presents for the princess." Small, yea – well Chris sure wanted to win Lola's heart in the most unorthodox ways but that was not surprising for anyone. Lola somehow ended in Yuuri's arms so Viktor properly hugged the couple and invited them inside, helping them with the luggage they were carrying. They had a lot to catch up and as they talked about the flight and other minor things Chris could barely tear his eyes from the new figure, like he was trying to memorise all the sweet features; as much as the girl kept trying to hide herself in her Daddy's arms she peeked at him from time to time, amusing everyone.

"He won't eat you, I promise" Viktor chuckled and petted her head gently, before getting up to offer everyone a cup of coffee. "You must be crushed"

"It wouldn't be wise to sleep, though." Dorian sighed, obviously wanting a long nap and Yuuri approved by a simple nod.

The lunch was rather calm and the British man was very surprised by the way the kid was eating, asking her parents a few times if she was alright and if they shouldn't stop her so she wouldn't get sick. Whenever someone commented like that Lola would usually stop eating, they figured out as much, so they told Dorian she was alright and that she was growing so it was alright to eat as much as she wanted. After they were done they kept the conversation going and Lola got off Viktor's lap and headed towards the toys that were spread on the ground, picking up her bunny and a duck and beginning to play with them silently. She was sleepy because she kept yawning so Yuuri let her a few minutes before he decided it was time for her nap and went to pick her up.

"Let's go read a story" He suggested and his eyes widened when she began to fuss. It was clear she wanted to stay with them but she also had a schedule he was not willing to break. "We'll come back in a bit, I promise." She was looking so crushed by the news that Viktor got up and kissed her cheek lovingly.

"I'll wait here for you, zvyozdochka" He promised and she nodded, even if her lower lip was still trembling. Yuuri mouthed that he'll be back soon and took her to their shared bedroom where there were a lot of books waiting on the nightstand. Lola picked "The Little Mermaid" so Yuuri placed her on the pillows and cuddled closer to her as he began to read. She fell asleep faster than expected and he let the door cracked, in case she woke up and started to cry and he went back to the "adults" where Dorian seemed very embarrassed by the on-going conversation between the skating legends.

"Our baby is sleeping?" Viktor asked suddenly and he nodded, sitting on the chair next to him.

"Okay but –" Chris took a big breath. "You have the sweetest girl ever!" The blond never thought of children, knowing he enjoyed "living life at its fullest" a little too much and he was sure Dorian had no desire to be a father whatsoever – at least not yet, but that didn't mean he couldn't be great with children. It was easy because he was so childish by nature, he liked playing around and teasing them and he couldn't wait for Lola to open up to him.

"Thank you." Yuuri grinned and took the hand of his husband that was offered to him, squeezing the fingers gently. "She will befriend you eventually, she needs more time." He knew they heard her history from Viktor and it was better to be aware of it because any wrong move result in a terrible mess and they didn't want that, especially because Lo just calmed down after the meeting with her biological mother.

"You could offer the gifts to her personally when she wakes up" Viktor smiled and Dorian nodded, agreeing. "So what about you? How's it going?" Chris parting from the skating world was a huge change in their lives as his boyfriend was also his manager but as soon as that happened they tried to find their way, just like Viktor and Yuuri were trying to do now. The Swiss has always been a huge fan of art in general so he decided to start studying it and Dorian continued his work line, though not as passionate as before.

Chris ended up following Viktor to the kitchen because he was on washing dishes duty and the latter sure as hell didn't miss the little thing that was hanging on the chain around his friend's neck. He smiled brightly and thought about how amusingly private Chris was about his amorous life – no one expected this of him.

"So... are you going to give him an answer?" By the fake-innocent tone he was using, the blond realised right away what Viktor was talking about and smirked.

"I'm not the marrying type, Vitya"

"I wasn't either but here I am – married and having a child." Chris chuckled because it was true but shook his head, knowing a long conversation will follow.

"And I am so happy you're happy but you know me – I can't give up on some things I enjoy. And I am not responsible enough, I am not saying I don't love Dorian because I do but..." He was already overthinking so Viktor was glad he was done with the washing and wiped his hands on the nearest kitchen towel before turning to his friend.

"So you wear the ring around your neck like a teenager" He teased and Chris burst into laughter.

"I guess that's what I am." His fingers began to play with the thin golden ring and he sighed because it has become a habit of his to do that lately. "It's more of a promise."

"And Dorian doesn't mind?"

"You know he wouldn't insist on anything that would make me unhappy."

"True!" Viktor said cheerfully and rubbed his friend's back. He always liked Dorian, he was a trustful person and he was really good for Chris, like an anchor that kept him sane and attached to the real world. "The most important thing is for you to get along~" He sang and grabbed his arm. "Let's go back to our fine men"

They were chuckling about something so they couldn't stop themselves from smiling at the sound of their partners enjoying themselves.

"What are you so jolly about?" Chris asked and went to sit on the armrest of the sofa, next to the brown-haired man who wrapped an arm around him. They looked happy, Viktor decided and went to sit next to Yuuri, kissing his forehead as he sat down.

"We were talking about how extra you two are" Yuuri answered and his husband pouted.

"Extra? No way!"

"You got together because of a pole-dance" Chris muttered and the Japanese sighed, already immune to this memory everyone used to tease him.

"Viktor climbed up naked on a castle because he was jealous of Chihoko" That silenced the attacker. "And you started a trend #glitteronbuttcheeks on Twitter." They all burst into laughter at that and the Extra Men realised they have been defeated and there was no going back.

"Don't get it wrong, we kind of love this side of you" Dorian murmured and received a soft kiss on the cheek.

"With accent on  **kind of**. Don't let it go to your heads." Yuuri concluded and grinned when his husband pouted.

They decided to stay in that day because they were tired but they made quite a plan for the next few days, knowing there was no good in wasting the time they had in St. Petersburg. It was not the first time they were visiting but the city was big enough for them to see different things each time and it was the perfect way to show Lola around too. The little girl woke up crying, like usual and was picked up right away by her Papa who cooed her for a while before he brought her to the others, explaining to her how many beautiful things the guests wanted to give her. She was sniffling when they entered the room and after she received her usual kisses from Daddy she looked over at the many colourful packs that were piled in the middle of the room. She tugged on Yuuri's shirt and pointed towards them.

"Those are for you, from Chris and Dorian" He whispered and was pulled towards the place. "Do you want Daddy to help you open them?" She nodded and it didn't last long until the floor was filled with toys, puzzles, clothes – even a tiara! It was clear the proud uncle couldn't stop shopping once he began and he watched every reaction while smiling, knowing he did the right thing. "What's this?" It was a long box and once they opened it they saw a few bottles of nail polish, all different colours.

"They're children friendly. Non-toxic" Dorian said and Viktor almost yelped because of the enthusiasm. "If I remember well, your Papa painted his nails a lot when he was younger so you can have him put it on."

Lola picked a sparkling blue one and turned to the silver-haired man, hope filling her blue eyes.

"Of course, sweetheart! But first what do you say to Dorian and Christophe?" It lasted a bit but the result was adorable.

"Fank you" Her voice was small but it was clear she meant it.

"You're welcome, princess!" The blond answered and started to chuckle when she ran to Viktor, still holding the little bottle tightly. He took her hands in his and brought them to his lips to kiss them, making her smile a bit before he rested one on his thigh and opened the bottle.

It was funny because Dorian and Yuuri began to talk but as much as they tried to include Chris it was hopeless because he was mesmerised by the father-daughter interaction. He wondered if he could paint such little nails – probably not - and found himself chuckling at his own thoughts. The result was very satisfying but it was only normal as Viktor was an expert.

"Why don't you go and show them how pretty your nails are now?" The Russian suggested and she did, even if as shy as possible and they peppered her with compliments, trying to make her feel at ease around them.

Lola was an obedient child, a little too obedient it seemed because she quietly sat around, not saying a word and playing with Yuuri's shirt, tugging on it gently from time to time. She looked like a doll but this doll was afraid of making a wrong move so she never said anything, even if she was terribly bored.

"Don't you want to go and play, sweetheart?" The raven-haired man asked and ran his fingers through her curls. She nodded but didn't make a movement so he smiled, knowing she needed him to go with her. "Come on, let's go."

The rest of the day was rather peaceful and they tucked in early, the guests very tired. In the morning, Viktor was surprised when he found the bed empty, as he was usually the one to wake up first. He checked his phone and saw it was 7:30 and decided to sleep five more minutes, oblivious to what was going on in the kitchen. He had no idea that his husband was preparing coffee for everyone or that his daughter was chasing after him like a satellite.

"We should have pancakes for breakfast" Yuuri decided and Lola nodded once, eyeing the glass with chocolate milk that was resting on the counter and that was offered to her within seconds. She was still wearing her jammies and she went to play with bunny and some of her new toys when Chris entered the room, stretching and yawning at the same time. "Good morning!"

"Morning!" He greeted, a bit too cheerful and saw that baby blues were examining him thoroughly. "Hello, princess!" His voice was hoarse and his blond curls were a mess; somehow he looked younger and his first instinct was to go closer to the little human that was watching him. "You're playing so early?" She nodded and he kneeled on the carpet next to her, picking an ear of her bunny. "You have such a nice toy"

She frowned but didn't take the ear back, still eyeing him closely.

"Dorian is still sleeping?"

"Like a log" He chuckled and took a stuffed penguin that happened to be pink. "Can I help you?"

"No, no, you two play until I'm done here"

"Yessir" The Swiss answered. "Can I play with you, chaton?" Lola nodded, even if she wasn't used to this strange name and they silently began to play, the man following her actions. At one point she realised how quiet everything was and she unconsciously began to hum the lullaby her Papa sang to her whenever he put her to sleep. "You have such a beautiful voice, cheri!"

"Lo" Yuuri called and she furrowed her little brows.

"Fank you"

"I hope we can be friends" Chris said and tucked a curl of her hair behind her ear, seeing how tensed she became. "You can trust me, okay? And I'll spoil you rotten" He whispered a little too loud, making her smile a bit.

They visited quite a lot that day and surprisingly enough, Lola didn't complain one bit, even if she fell asleep in the restaurant where they had lunch and Viktor had to carry her for the next hour or so. She seemed relaxed around the new people, even allowing them to hold her hand. It wasn't a surprise for anyone when Viktor and Chris began to shop but they weren't stopped either because it was clear they were enjoying themselves too much and Lola was the winner, receiving the most bought items. Once they got home they decided to drink some wine and if Yuuri stopped after one glass, Viktor downed another and then another, the house going louder and louder. The silver-haired man was a fun type of drunk, always jolly and affectionate but Yuuri was worried the smell and the slurred words could scare Lola so when the third bottle of wine was opened he had to ask his husband to talk to him in private.

"What's the matter, Yuu~ri?" He slurred and launched himself in a hug only to be pushed away by a smaller hand.

"We should keep it quieter and you should take it easier with the drinks."

"Why?" He sighed. "We're not doing anything bad, we're simply having fun!"

"Lola..."

"Lola is not bothered by any of it –"

"We're having a child, we can't allow ourselves to be drunk messes anymore, at least not around her. What if she gets hurt or scared? What if someone comes to check on us?" The man answered with a bitter laugh.

"So late in the afternoon? Stop overthinking, it's not like we can't do anything fun anymore"

"You know what? Do whatever you want, it's like talking to a wall either way" And with that he ended the conversation and went to pick Lola and to excuse themselves for the rest of the night. She was very tense so it was clear he was right and the only way to calm her down at this point was a warm bath so he proceeded to fill the bathtub, letting her pick a bath bomb too. A green one with glitter, that smelt of apples and that dissolved under her eyes, relaxing her like a spell.

* * *

"Getting drunk is not allowed anymore!" Viktor declared as he entered the room, holding a box of juice in his hand. "Cranberry juice, looks similar to wine, tastes sweeter" He offered the alternative and by the way he was emphasizing every word Chris understood right away something bad just happened.

"We upset Yuuri?" The Russian shook his head.

"Not we, I" He murmured as he poured himself a glass of tasty substance. "Do you think I'm a bad father?"

"No, of course not!" Dorian said and sighed. "You guys get carried away when you meet, that's all."

"So you think he's right to be mad" Viktor pouted.

"Drinking around a toddler is never a wise choice."

"You're right, I'm sorry" Dorian chuckled at the puppy-in-the-rain-face.

"Tell Yuuri that." He turned to see Chris was finishing the bottle of wine and scowled at him hard enough to make him get up and throw it all away in the sink.

"Okay, okay, I understand" He rose his hands in defence and grabbed the box of juice. "Mmm, cranberries sound amazing"

They kept it down and in the meantime Yuuri took care of Lola's night routine and now he was reading her a story – Aladdin, watching the pictures together with her and explaining everything she seemed curious about. They were actually having fun when there were knocks on the door and inside came Dorian with the kindest expression on his face.

"Sorry –"

"Don't worry, sit down" Yuuri offered and the man sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the colourful book they were holding. "We were reading the bedtime story"

"I wanted to apologise for any inconveni-"

"None of that, please" The Japanese chuckled and rubbed Lola's back gently. "It seriously has nothing to do with you, I am sorry for suddenly leaving like that. What's going on there?" Dorian chuckled.

"They're complaining and drinking cranberry juice."

"Talking about extra." They both laughed at that and the brunet shook his head. "Do you need anything?"

"No, I'll be leaving you now – it's late and I need to pick the remains of my man from the living room. Good night!" Yuuri grinned and nodded, watching Dorian as he took Lola's hand in his. "Night night, sweetheart!"

"Night" She answered and offered a shy smile, getting closer to her Daddy. The British man was ready to exit the room when he was interrupted.

"Please send the remains of mine here too!"

"Sure thing!"

It lasted about ten minutes until another wave of knocks followed on the door and Yuuri sighed.

"Am I still allowed in our marital bedroom?" Oh my God, this man was unbelievable.

"If you're not in bed in the next five minutes you're sleeping on the couch!" He shouted loud enough and here came a dramatic Viktor Nikiforov, looking like the most horrible thing just happened to him and he couldn't recover. The first thing he did was to sit on the bed and curl so his face was close to Lola's chubby feet.

"You wouldn't allow Daddy to let Papa sleep on the couch, right?" He asked and grabbed a foot, kissing the soft sole all over and making her squirm and giggle. "You love Papa, right?" She nodded solemnly and he took her other foot, applying the same treatment.

"I love Papa" She whispered and went closer to kiss the man's cheek shortly before turning to Yuuri. "Daddy too." Viktor had no idea why – it could have been the alcohol but he felt his eyes getting teary at the confession and smiled when he saw how dearly his husband was holding their baby.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you very much for the continuous support, for the lovely comments and all! I had severe writer's block so I am sorry if this chapter is not what you expected ~ I'll continue to do my best! Have a wonderful week! x
> 
> chaton - kitten
> 
> cheri - dear (Overusing pet names is a characteristic of the Giacometti-Nikiforov friendship ^-^)


	10. Harmless

He checked himself in the mirror for the thousandth time and wondered where was all the nervousness coming for – it probably made its appearance because of Viktor who was simply restless ever since he woke up, at 6 AM. It was almost unbelievable that more than a month had passed since they became parents but it was normal for their first check up to come. It was a standard procedure and they never expected to be excused just because they were public figures but that didn't mean they were less stressed about it. They knew they had to make a great impression and because of that they were very stiff, cleaning everything and making sure they looked presentable.

As Lola just had her first haircut and her curly hair was reaching her shoulders, Viktor decided two pigtails were enough for today, especially because she was already impatient to play. She looked adorable, dressed in light-coloured rompers that matched her baby blues perfectly and she seemed a bit fussier than normal. They had to talk to her and explain what was going on, knowing she didn't usually react well to new faces so once he brought her usual apple juice, Yuuri decided it was the perfect time to inform her about their special guest. She was playing with Legos, looking as content as ever when they both sat down on the couch.

"Lo, could you come here for a bit?" She was confused but left the toys behind so she would go closer and be picked up by the brunet before being placed in his lap. "Someone called us and told us that today a nice lady will come to see how you are."

"She wants to make sure you're happy with us here. And she'll probably ask to see your room and ask you questions, do you think you could answer her?" She furrowed her brows and in that moment Yuuri knew she was worrying unnecessarily.

"We know you don't like to talk to people you don't know but we'll be with you all the time and you only have to tell her what you feel, okay?" She nodded slowly and grabbed the cup of apple juice, slowly draining it. Viktor bent to kiss her head sweetly and then they went back to playing until they heard some knocks on the door and the raven-haired man felt his anxiety hitting the roof. But he had to keep it together, for their wellbeing, for Lola. He never would have imagined how balanced he would become once he would become a father; it was nothing forced but he had something to focus on and he knew their daughter's happiness was above all the overthinking and the panic. He cleared his throat but Viktor was already focused on their apartment's entrance. They both tensed and Yuuri went to open the door.

They hoped for someone young, as selfish as that might have sounded, because they were aware that Russia was still Russia and old people were rarely open-minded, so they were surprised when they saw a 50-ish woman standing in front of them.

"Good evening!" Yuuri said right away, trying not to stare or freak out.

"Good evening, Mr. Katsuki-Nikiforov! My name is Ekaterina Ovechkina and I am here to check on your daughter." She nodded towards Viktor who just got up from the playing mat, her light blonde hair bouncing around her petite head, making her black eyes look less hostile.

"Please come in, can I fix anything for you? A coffee maybe?" She shook her head and in that moment she looked like she wanted to get her shoes off Yuuri rose both hands. "Please don't bother, come in!" He was hoping she wasn't staying long enough so she would feel uncomfortable in those tall high heels shoes. She was looking impeccable, in a suit that almost looked like a uniform on her slender body and Viktor wondered how could she look so scary while hoping a child would open up to her and tell her about her/his feelings. As soon as Lola heard the clanking of the shoes hitting the floor she hurried next to her Papa that cradled her head gently, feeling the tug on his pants.

"You must be Lola" The woman said, her English a lot better than they expected and Viktor began to gently caress the little girl's neck, encouraging her to nod shyly. "It's so nice to meet you, darling!" Her attitude changed completely but it was clear the child could see right through her because she didn't relax. "I came here to make sure you're okay, do you think you can help me look around?"

She hesitated before she came to a conclusion.

"Papa too?" Ekaterina furrowed her brows but accepted.

"If you want that, sure." She was obviously not happy but there was no way Lola would have played along by her rules, too uncomfortable to do that. "Are these your toys?" She nodded, enthusiastic at the idea that they all belonged to her and the woman started to look around for anything that could be considered unsafe. But everything has been baby proofed in the first week she arrived because they were both scared that something might happen to her if they weren't taking care of that first. "Are these your only toys?" Lola shook her head. "Where are the rest?"

"Room" She said and the woman was surprised, probably because she wasn't used to such short sentences.

"Whose room, yours or your fathers'?" Lola raised her shoulders because they were in both but the social worker insisted. "Could you talk in sentences?" As soon as that has been told, Lola's agitation grew and she looked scared at her Daddy who sensed the change in her mood. They didn't like when their daughter was pressured by people who had no idea how much she progressed in the past weeks.

"We're working on that, we're going to a nice speech therapist twice a week, right, Lo?" She nodded, remembering the beautiful lady that would show her images and play with her and tell her all kind of things. "We'd appreciate if you wouldn't force her to..."

"I'd appreciate if you'd not intervene in my line of work" The words were harsh and Viktor almost wanted to snap back at her for talking to his husband like that but he knew it wouldn't have been wise.

"I apologise" Yuuri said, faking a smile.

"I want to hear everything from Lola. So could you show me your other toys?"

"Yes" Her voice was small so Viktor rubbed her shoulder gently, trying to console her in a not very obvious way.

"Let's go" The little girl looked at the hand that was offered to her and took it, but not before looking back to see the both her daddies joining hands and smiling at her. She didn't like this woman who just raised her voice, she didn't like the way she was looking around and inspecting everything, asking to know things as if it was her right but she was asked to be nice and that was she was going to do. She didn't want anything bad to happen and she wanted to stay there. She first stopped by her bedroom that the woman inspected with sharp eyes, wondering if there was anything wrong around this house. She was ready to ask something when a ball of fluff ran by her and stopped beside Lola. The girl smiled at the pup and began to pet him, earning a few hand-licks and sniffles. "Is the dog yours?"

"Saka" She murmured and continued to caress the soft fur as the woman turned towards the parents.

"Is the dog vaccinated?"

"Of course, we had him checked the week we adopted him. That was a month or so before we adopted Lola." Viktor said, almost defensive at the woman's words.

"Do you get along well with Saka, Lola?" The little girl blinked rapidly and then wrapped her arms around the poodle's head, pulling him closer.

"I love Saka" She said and kissed his nose, much to her daddies' amusement. The woman smiled at the picture and then asked if she could see some of her toys. They were all suited for her age and they all looked good, the plushies were mainly very clean (beside the ones she played with in the last few days) and everything was safe. When Lola headed for the next room the woman was confused. "My toys" she explained and as soon as they got inside the bedroom, Yuuri felt his face heating because it was the only part of the house where he didn't have the chance to clean properly. So there were bitten apples on one of the nightstands, toys on the undone bed and beside it and Ekaterina almost stepped on a Lego but Saka was a smart puppy and pushed it aside with his little paw.

"Close" Yuuri whispered towards Viktor and the latter nodded, realising he held his breath. "I apologise for the lack of..." The blonde turned around, surprisingly enough – smiling.

"No one expects your house to be squeaky clean with a toddler around"

"Of course" Viktor flashed his famous grin.

"Everything looks fine but I'd like to have a little chit-chat with all of you if that is alright"

"Of course – are you sure you don't want a cup of coffee or tea?"

"Tea would be fine, after all" She accepted so they all went back in the kitchen where they sat at the rather tall table. Lola sat on her special high chair because it was the only one that allowed her to reach the flat surface where her own tea was placed a few moments later. They were feeling more confident after that small smile and also very curious about what she was going to ask.

"Could you please inform me about your income? Raising a child requires money and it's obvious you don't lack it but I have to ask what are you doing for a living – you're not figure skaters anymore, if I remember well."

"We're not figure skaters but we are still public figures, we film commercials, we are very popular online, we have interviews and other such jobs" Viktor explained. "We also earned quite a lot during our careers so there is no financial problem."

"Do you have plans for any future job?"

"We've both been thinking about coaching, I have a degree too so that might be another option" Yuuri said calmly. "But we decided to stay home and focus on Lola for a few more months. We are lucky to be able to do so."

"Certainly. I've heard you had all her medical checks done too, which is very good. Now I have a few questions for Lola if that's okay" The little girl looked up once her name was called and put down the cup she was holding. "Are you happy here, Lola? Are you feeling safe?"

"Yes" She said, her voice raspy, and looked over towards Viktor who winked at her.

"Do you think anything is lacking? Do you like having two daddies instead of a daddy and a mommy?" That question was beyond unfair, almost provoking but they bit back their words and looked at their daughter patiently.

"I love Daddy and Papa" She said and frowned. "I don' wanna..." he sentence remained suspended and soon the woman nodded, convinced. She had doubts about this, she didn't think homosexual couples could take care well enough of children because men were overall so irresponsible but it was evident that the Katsuki-Nikiforovs were an exception. A few more questions followed, basic ones but they were all answered calmly and favourable for everyone. The woman was ready to leave when she bent to smile at Lola.

"I'll see you soon; take care, sweet Lola!" She nodded and then hurried to Yuuri while Viktor announced he was going to walk her outside. Ekaterina was ready to step outside the door when she turned around and raised her brows. "Why a girl, though? Wouldn't it have been a lot more easier for you to adopt a boy?" Maybe – maybe not, he had no idea.

"The gender didn't matter to us, Mrs. Ovechkina; we fell in love with our daughter the first moment we saw her." He assured and she flashed a big smile.

"I'm glad to hear that, I wish you well!" The goodbyes were spoken and as soon as the door closed he almost ran towards the kitchen where Yuuri seemed just as relieved as he was.

"Oh my God, we did it" Viktor finished with a chuckle and hurried towards his husband, grabbing his face with both hands and crushing his lips against his a little too forceful, making the other yelp surprised but answer right away. When they parted they saw Lola was staring displeased at their display of affection so the Russian picked her up, making sure she wasn't feeling like an outsider. "You were wonderful, malysh!" He kissed her cheek soundly again and again until it became ticklish and she giggled, trying to squirm out of his arms only to be picked up by Yuuri.

"We should celebrate that with a visit at the playground" He suggested and kissed her hair, realising he prepared nothing for lunch. "Lunch sounds like a good idea too"

It was Thursday and that was the day of the week when Yuri and Otabek would come over for dinner, happy to get away with free food. They were both young and busy so they could understand that a warm well prepared meal and company was a blessing even if Yuri would have never admitted that that was how they felt. They settled on Katsudon because they didn't have that in a while and before they got home they went to the grocery shop that was the closest, picking up some sweets too.

The couple appeared at least an hour earlier than they were expected and as soon as that happened Viktor chuckled at the sight of them because Otabek was wearing a large black shirt with a huge cat in the middle of it, matching the terrible clothes Yuri was wearing – his style unchanged after all the years that passed.

"I suppose that was a gift?" He asked pointing at the monstrosity and Otabek felt his ears heating at the comment before nodding. "I thought so."

"What do you know about fashion anyway, baldy?"

"Yuri! I swear to God that I'm gonna send him to you the next time he will have a Yuuri-am-I-going-bald-fit!" Yuuri hissed and the blond chuckled before jumping on the couch and looking around to see Lola was playing with some little plastic horses.

"Hi" He said rather bluntly and she waved, faking lack of interest. The truth was, she came to like Yuri a lot because whenever they came around he would give her attention and play with her, sometimes he would even braid her hair or help her paint her nails. With Otabek, on the other side – there was no real interaction. She knew he always visited when Yuri did and she saw they were holding hands like her Papa and Daddy were doing but he never did more than saluting her and telling her goodbye, which was somewhat okay because she didn't like him a lot. He looked scary.

"Hello" His quiet voice filled the room and Lola answered with a small "hi" without raising her eyes from her pile of toys.

"So how did it go today?" Yuri obviously knew about the check.

"Fine, it's all alright, as expected." Yuuri answered and the blond burst into laughter.

"You didn't sound so smug yesterday, when you were freaking out over the phone" The older man rolled his eyes but felt his cheeks heating because it was all true.

"More important than that ~" Viktor sang and threw an arm around his husband's shoulders. "I met Yakov the other day ."

"So? We meet him every day, not a big deal" The figure skater said, gripping the glass of water that was placed in front of him so he could cool his thirst.

"I don't know how we ended up talking about that but – he told me what a fan of mine you were when you were younger." Yuri almost spit the water at the sound of those words and an inhuman growl came out of his throat. "You begged him to let you see me skate at every competition, that's so sweet! I never knew you admired me so much~"

"There was nothing to admire – I know that now!" The tone was raised so much that his voice turned weird and his face unbelievably red.

"Wait a second" The silver man disappeared in the hall only to come back a minute later holding an envelope. "I've also received this!" The enthusiasm was hard to handle and as soon as green eyes landed on the letter, Yuri jumped off the couch and tried to grab it but failed miserably because Viktor was still taller and his arms were still longer. It was an old letter, one the skater wrote when he was 7 and never sent. Viktor cleared his throat. "Dear Viktor – you are a good skater. I wish you would teach me how to do complicated jumps. You deserve gold. I want to be like you." The signature was a trembled "Yuri" and a cat drawn beside it and Viktor swooned at the adorable words, melting against the couch.

"Fu-" Yuuri cut him off.

"Language!"

"F-u-c-k off!" He was obviously embarrassed and he was wondering if they would ever let it go. That was so uncool!

"You always stared at me, I thought you didn't like me at all" Viktor continued, much to his annoyance.

"I fu—hate you!"

"I know you don't" He cooed and rubbed the crown of blonde hair. "It's adorable either way, I'm keeping it"

"I really hope you go bald" Yuri muttered and as soon as Yuuri announced he was going to get everything prepared he went with him, feeling like he couldn't face the amused expression on Otabek's face for one more second.

"Can I see that?" The Kazakh asked and was offered the yellowish paper only to find a few side drawings on it. It was cute because there were snowflakes and stick figures everywhere so he couldn't stop himself from taking a photo of it.

"He was a very grumpy kid too." Otabek knew, after all, he still remembered the hardworking Yuri that was the best from the ballet class even at such a young age. His determination was almost scary but his goals were clear and he knew he could achieve each one of them and that was admirable.

In the meantime Lola began to draw on the coffee table – creating nothing palpable but receiving praises from her Papa for each work of art she was presenting. Viktor couldn't help himself, he loved to see the way her eyes would light up with each word and he surely didn't want to discourage her from doing something she enjoyed so much. They were talking pleasantries when she came closer and leaned on the older man's legs, looking him in the eye.

"Can I help you, dorogoya moya?" She pointed towards a white paper.

"Butter" She said and Viktor understood right away she wanted to have a butterfly done, the only problem was that his butterflies were absolutely abstract, or rather said, run over by cars. He consoled himself with the idea that he couldn't be good at everything.

"You know Daddy draws better than Papa, Lo" He said and then he had an idea. "But maybe Beka will help you if you ask him nicely." So she turned towards him, shyly, and stared long at the imposing brunet that watched her with endless calmness.

"Pease" He couldn't resist those baby blues so he nodded and soon moved closer to the coffee table.

"What colour would you like it to be?" She offered him the pink colour and as soon he drew the first butterfly she already wanted more so she kept offering him different colours, until the paper was filled and she was settled on his lap. He was not used to such a tiny human because a lot of time has passed since his baby sister was that size. He was also younger back then but that never stopped him from always holding and playing with her; she was, after all, his favourite ally. "Do you like it?" She nodded hurried and offered him an orange crayon.

"Ephant, pease" She smiled cutely and he knew he lost from the first second so he began his work, amused when he saw she started to colour his previous works. They were enjoying themselves when Yuri came to tell them dinner was ready and his mouth fell open at the sight. They were so concentrated that they had no idea they were watched, Lola preoccupied by the explanations she was giving Otabek about what he should draw next. He took his phone out and snapped a few pictures and uploaded the sweetest one on Instagram with the caption #harmlessdarkhorse.

"Katsudon is waiting for you" He said and went closer to look at the papers. "Looks like you found a common passion, eh?"

"Beka d'aws nice" Lola said and looked at the brunet who smiled bashfully.

"He sure does." The blond grinned, his eyes locking with deep browns. "Come, I'm hungry" His stomach was indeed growling and, before they got up, Otabek turned towards the little girl.

"Can I pick you up?" She nodded and gasped because of the easiness with which he did that, gripping on the strong muscles of his shoulder. He didn't hold her like Papa or Daddy but it was clear he was doing his best to be gentle and was treating her like she could break anytime. Viktor and Yuuri looked borderline shocked to see someone else holding their child because that never happened before but their first reaction was to smile brightly because it seemed that their daughter saw something in Otabek that she didn't see in other people. As bulky as he was, the Kazakh was a softie and Lola saw right through him.

After they filled their tummies they moved to the living room where they continued to have long conversations and at one point Lo fell asleep in Beka's arms, the man being the only one to hold her during all that time. After Viktor took some pictures, Yuuri suggested it was time for her to be tucked in and followed the brunet towards their bedroom where the girl was placed in the middle of the double bed and her bunny was placed near her. She was looking beautiful so he had to take a few seconds to look at her.

"I think she likes you a lot" Yuuri whispered as he checked to see if the blanket was covering her properly. Otabek smiled widely before turning to the older man. "We should go back before Yuri kills my husband, I'm not ready to be a single father"

"I am not ready for jail visits either." They both chuckled and hurried towards the well-known source of loudness.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed softy Otabae (who wouldn't?) and my-ever-so-loud-cat-son! This story will soon reach its closure - the 11th chapter will be the last one so I thank all of you who took the time to read and comment! I hope you will like the last chapter too but until then ~ take care! x


	11. эпилог

Everything was looking perfect – from the glittery plate the cake was settled on to the decorations that looked like rainbows and that were stuck on the walls and that made the room look like a rainbow just pooped all over it. The pile of gifts was tall and proud in a corner of the room and the balloons made waves whenever they moved around in their trial of checking the position of everything. 12th April felt like a lie because they couldn't believe that more than half a year passed since Lola came to live with them but here they were – doing their best to create an unforgettable birthday party. Yuri and Otabek had the mission to go with her to the playground while they prepared everything and they were rather proud of the results, even if the guests were still to appear.

"Do you think she will like it, Yuu~ri?" Viktor was as worried as ever but all the pessimism evaporated once he felt arms wrapping around his middle, pulling him closer so a pair of lips could press against the exposed skin of his neck.

"She'll love it" He seemed so sure of himself that the Russian couldn't even think of combating his words. He grinned widely and turned around to cup his face with both hands and initiated a long and loving kiss. He sometimes wondered how it could be that even after such a long time his stomach would flutter because of his lover but he couldn't complain because the romantic dreams he had when he was young and lonely finally fulfilled. And on top of an amazing marriage he had a lovely daughter whom he loved more and more each day. When they parted, they both smiled widely and heard knocks on the door. "The guests are here"

"I'll take care of that" Viktor said and hurried towards their apartment door and his heart-shaped smile made its appearance when he saw that in front of him stood Christophe and Dorian, both smiling at the enthusiasm written on their host's face. "Welcome!" He said and after he hugged the both of them, Yuuri came to greet them too, happy that they took the time to fly all the way from Switzerland.

"We're so glad you could come!" They were staying over only for a couple of days but their luggage was significant so they took it to the guestroom before the presents were added to the already piled ones. "Our daughter is gonna grow up sooo spoiled"

"She deserves it!" Chris purred and looked around at the decorations. "You really outdid yourself" The next to come was the rest of the Russian team – Mila and Georgi and finally Yakov and Lilia that looked as formal as ever. They were looking like they've been forced into participating but the couple knew that, deep inside – somewhere very very deep inside – they were glad to be there and take part in the mini party.

"The visuals are... disturbing" The former prima muttered and Mila tried to cover her chuckle with a cough, knowing it wasn't wise to annoy the stiff but beautiful old woman. Phichit was the last to arrive but they all greeted him eagerly as they haven't seen each other in quite some time. The jolly Thai didn't waste a second and put his camera to good use, making sure to document every second so the details wouldn't be forgotten over the years.

Phichit and Lola first met during a video call but unlike Chris and Dorian, the brunet was a lot more flamboyant so it was harder for her to open up and dare to interact with him, no matter how many minutes he would spend telling her how cute she looked and asking her all kind of questions she wouldn't answer. He visited a month or two after that and all the progress seemed to have vanished so it took a day for Lola to address him even a word. He understood where she was coming from, as his best friend explained everything to him so he tried to approach her just as friendly but also calmer and before he realised what was going on she was helping him paint his nails, creating a mess of his fingers. After she was done he helped her with hers and took a photo of both artworks, posting it online with the caption #girlstime #myfavoritegirl #LolaKN

Beside the small differences between them, the guests had quite a pleasant talk and when Yuri messaged Yuuri telling him they were soon leaving the park they put on the colourful birthday hats and waited patiently for the last but most important guests.

It took a lot of time for Lola to get comfortable enough to leave her father's side and the only people she was trusting to be alone with were Yuri and Beka who were now taking her out without a problem and who were on babysitting duty whenever Viktor and Yuuri felt like they needed a bit of time for themselves. She was not difficult and that was the only reason why the blond skater put up with her, amazed himself by how much he grew attached to the little girl; he also loved the way she was interacting with Otabek, sometimes asking for piggyback rides or help with her art pieces. It might have been because he was looking calmer that she preferred him into her games to the point where he was once invited to a tea party where he spent about one hour wearing a tiara and pouring invisible tea to stuffed animals. Yuri loved Lo for offering him so many chances to obtain blackmail material of his boyfriend and he also was thankful for seeing so many parts of him he had no idea about. On their way home she was rather quiet and he wondered if she had any idea what day it was.

For the first three years of her life, Lola had no one to celebrate her birthday with. Her mother would give her a cupcake and a second-hand ragged toy – in fact, on her second anniversary she's got Bunny. She had a total of two toys when Child Protection Services took her in and at the orphanage there was no way she would receive such attention because there everything belonged to everyone.

That morning she woke up later than usual and that was because they dined out the night before and she fell asleep harder and the moment she opened her eyes she was surprised to find Papa was already looking at her, his lips forming a smile once he realised he's been caught. It was very rare for her to wake up with him by her side because he was the one to always rise and shine ever since the alarm announced 6 AM. Old habits really died hard.

"Good morning, dorogoya moya" He whispered and came closer to kiss her forehead. "Happy birthday!" He cupped her head and enjoyed the way she moved closer and buried her face in his neck, her eyes slowly closing because of the comfortable warmth and because of the hand that began to caress her back. "Sleepy, princess?" She nodded slightly and he hummed, kissing the top of her head. "You can sleep a bit more until Daddy is done with breakfast."

"Okay" She fell back to slumber but when she heard the door he got up almost instantly, amazed by the big smile playing on her other father's lips. He came closer to pick her up and kissed her cheek soundly.

"Good morning, birthday girl!" He sang and at the curious frown on her face, kissed the other cheek. "Happy birthday! Come on, I made the biggest stack of pancakes for you only" Her face lit at the mention of her favourite choice of breakfast.

She was rather confused – not that she wasn't usually peppered with attention and affection, but today everyone seemed to be extra nice and she thought they were going to give her some kind of bad news. In fact, she's been terribly agitated ever since they entered their apartment and saw that everything was quiet. She was usually greeted by one of her daddies but now there was no one so as Otabek helped her out of her shoes she began to feel more and more scared by the idea that they weren't there anymore.

"Come on"

She shook her head and the brunet realised she was looking like she was on the brink of tears.

"What happened, Lola?" When the first sob made its appearance Yuri began to panic, squatting so he could look at her.

"No tears on your birthday, kotionok, okay?" He wiped her tears away with his bony fingers and pulled her close to his chest in a hug. "Let's go and look for Viktor and Yuuri" He said and she flinched at the names, not realising he was picking her up and they were now going towards the living room. The first reaction was to begin to cry harder and the blond was almost sure it was because she was relieved, not because she was, by any means, sad. As soon as Yuuri saw that he hurried towards her and welcomed her in his arms, focused on the things Yuri whispered to him when he did so.

"Happy birthday, Lo" He said and kissed her head, letting her calm down against his chest while the others cooed at the sight. When she was finally spent she changed places for Papa's arms where he explained everything to her and then carried her around the room to see everyone who was there for her. She seemed happy to see each one and soon she was giggling at the dramatic way Chris was asking for approval to kiss her nose.

She could barely believe that everything was so pretty and they were all thinking of her. She looked curiously at the beautifully wrapped presents before they told her she could open them if she wanted to and she understood that those were hers too. They were plenty, from clothes to stuffed animals and dollies and when she reached the bottom box she was already tired. It was a small one and she knew it was from her parents and Saka because the last three were too so there was no reason why this one would be different. It was a small one and it was heart-shaped box, a white ribbon wrapped around it to make sure it was staying closed. Viktor was the only one watching over her because the Japanese was entertaining the guests and he saw she was confused about it so he squatted by her and pointed towards one end of the bow.

"Why don't you pull on that?"

As soon as she did that the ribbon fell on the floor and her little hand grabbed the lid, pulling at it the best she could. Yuuri saw what she was holding and excused himself so he would go closer and see her reaction. It was not like the others, it wasn't wrapped in plastic or colourful, it was a small golden pendant with a bunny and she giggled at the sight of it because of its size and because it reminded her so much of her own Bunny. Little fingers grabbed it carefully and Viktor wrapped an arm around her.

"Look on the back of it." He whispered and Yuuri grinned at the sight. There were letters there but she couldn't read them so her Daddy came closer and pointed at the small engraving.

"It says: Daddy and Papa love you" He smiled and she gasped at the words, turning to him with a shy smile. "Do you want me to help you put it on?" A simple nod was all that it was needed for caramel locks to be raised and for the delicate necklace to be placed around a just as delicate neck.

"It looks so pretty on you, zvyozdochka!" Viktor murmured and she grinned, looking at the pendant again.

Mila decided it was time for dress up then and helped her in all the clothes she received, making a small fashion show for everyone to enjoy and clap at. The cake was sweet tasty and funnily enough, just as Phichit stated, this was probably the calmest party they ever organised – which was somehow normal.

"I can't wait for Lola to grow up so I can show her photos of the night her parents fell in love." The Thai sighed and was rewarded with a slap over his shoulder that came from Yuuri.

"Now, now, that's not even the dirtiest of times." Chris chuckled. "Do you remember Helsinki?" Now Viktor was the one to throw the dirty look. "What happened, cheri? It isn't as if she can't find photos online."

"Yuu~ri! We might need to forbid our daughter to ever use the internet."

"Don't be silly!" The Japanese chuckled and looked over the see the new outfit Lola was dressed in which was adorable.

"There are high chances you will get drunk in front of her too, you know?" Chris muttered and Viktor frowned. "Like when she will turn 16 or when she will bring her first boyfriend or girlfriend home"

"No, no, no, none of that. I'll have a stroke only thinking about it" The silver-haired man whined and the others burst into laughter.

"She's your daughter, after all" Phichit shrugged and he was lucky that Lola came closer and tugged on Yuuri's pants, asking to be picked up.

"Yes she is" He murmured, holding her close. Blue eyes searched for almond-shaped browns and he smiled, kissing her cheek gently. "Happy birthday, sweetheart!"

* * *

"Smells good" Viktor mumbled as he went closer to wrap his arms around his husband. The air was filled with delicious aromas and he couldn't make up his mind what he wanted to eat first. His lips met the side of a pale neck and Yuuri took a step back so he would put some distance between them and the stove where omelette was sizzling.

"That's dangerous, Vitya" He admonished and turned around to look at the pouting man.

"But – my morning kiss" He grinned at that and wondered if he will ever be able to stop spoiling this beautiful man he loved so much. Chopped lips pressed against soft ones longing, like always, and they parted with a smile.

"Good morning, sweetheart" The other grinned happily and pecked his husband's lips again, this time shorter.

"Good morning, solnyshko" The embrace continued for a few more moments before Viktor sat down at the table where he could barely keep his hands from the plate filled with bacon that smelt heavenly. "Our baby is still sleeping, I checked on her when I got out of bed."

They figured out recently that Lola was finally agreeing to sleep in her own room as long as they were staying with her until she fell asleep, reading her stories or singing to her. She was earnest to spend her time in a room she could call her own and it was even more pleasant because of the fact that all her toys and other things were there. Viktor was reluctant at first because he liked having her close always but he knew he couldn't keep her in their bed forever so he convinced himself it was better like that. On top of that, they needed to make up for the last few months they spent with a little body in between them and that was not an unpleasant task at all.

"Do we have plans for today?" Yuuri asked as he checked on the coffee.

"I've been thinking about something, actually" Viktor hummed but he couldn't continue because before he could open his mouth a whine could be heard from the next room and he immediately got up, ready to fetch the crying little girl. She was in the middle of her bed, rubbing her face and as soon as he picked her up she wrapped her arms around his neck, quieting her sobs. "Good morning, dorogoya moya!" He kissed her head. "There's no reason why you should cry, lapochka, Daddy prepared a yummy breakfast for us and then we will have a lot of fun together" He promised and kissed her cheek. "Okay?" She nodded and sniffled.

Once they entered the kitchen Yuuri came right away to kiss her forehead and put everything he prepared on the table so they could feast.

More than a week has passed since Lo's birthday and as they were just the three of them now, they decided they could try something new; it was almost past noon when they found themselves at the rink that was empty as it was Sunday. It was no secret Viktor hoped Lola would take a liking to skating once she would be old enough and one of the presents she received from him was a pair of children skating shoes, which were pale purple. Yuuri told him repeatedly not to set his hopes too high because, after all, their daughter had a brain of her own and they couldn't force her into anything but he also knew the Russian would not let it go until he saw himself how she felt about it. They were frequently visiting the rink so she was familiar with the building, she even saw her daddies skate a few times and loved admiring them moving so gracefully.

Once he put the skates on, Viktor began the warm up, as he usually did and the other two watched him from the side, enjoying his still-obvious talent. Whenever he had such a picture in front of him, Yuuri couldn't stop his fanboy instinct and swooning because of the admiration combined with love that he was feeling. It took a few good years for him to get used to the idea that he was married to his idol and celebrity crush and whenever he saw him skating he could feel the same quivering feeling in his stomach.

"Isn't Papa beautiful when he skates?" He murmured distracted and Lola nodded, her eyes stuck on the moving figure.

"Come on" The Russian motioned and Yuuri snapped out of it and stepped on the ice, still holding Lola in his arms.

"Do you want to skate too, princess?"

"Yes!" She said so fiercefully that they both chuckled, making her smile.

"Okay" The brunet said and slowly put he down, holding both hands once the edges of her skating shoes reached the ice. "Do you think you can stand like this?"

"No" Her fingers tightened the grasp on his hands and Viktor grinned.

"Okay, I won't let go so you don't have to worry" The Japanese assured. "Now, what's the next step, Papa?"

Viktor straightened his back and looked into baby blues. He was trying to remember how he learned skating but it was helpless because it was so long ago that all the memories of that time were gone.

"You must think of it like walking. But you first step to the right and then to the left." He motioned as he said that and Lola's brows furrowed in concentration, her tongue sticking out like it would do whenever she was trying to draw something complicated. It was pretty easy for her to mimic the steps because she knew she wouldn't fall or be scolded if she failed to do everything properly and soon, Viktor was by her side too, straightening her legs so she wouldn't bend them too much and get hurt.

"How about I will let a hand go so you'll see how it feels?" Yuuri suggested and the girl blinked, a bit taken aback by the suggestion. "I'll hold the other and I promise to catch you if anything happens, okay?"

"Okay" She didn't sound convincing but he slowly did as he told, observing that she was ready to lose her balance. None of them would allow her to fall on the ice so they were both ready to reach her but surprisingly, she regained her posture, even if with trembling legs.

"Wow! Well done, zaichik!" Viktor praised her while clapping softly. "Now try coming towards me" That was tricky because as much as she stepped forward he would step back and that continued until she groaned in frustration.

"Papa, no!" He chuckled and went closer, so there was only a meter of distance in between them.

"I'll let you catch me but you need to let Daddy's hand go."

"I can't" She pouted and Yuuri rubbed her shoulder gently.

"Of course you do! I'm sure you can" Viktor added but the pout only got bigger.

"Papa will be waiting there and I am sure he will be happy to buy us ice cream once you reach him." She seemed to agree with the idea but she threw the man behind her a last look before she nodded. "Okay, I'll slowly let go now, you do as Papa showed you"

Unsure legs began to move shyly and Yuuri found himself holding his breath at the sight but tried to focus on the fact that she was actually doing very well - as well as a 4 year old who never set a foot on ice before could do. Viktor's heart was ready to run out of his chest but before he allowed himself to panic he felt small fingers grabbing his arms. She was leaning on him now, a bit shook but obviously proud of herself for succeeding.

"Well done, baby!" Viktor cooed and kissed her forehead, picking her up. "Such a brave girl" He kissed her again and soon Yuuri came closer to her.

"I think you did amazing" He grinned and rubbed her back. "Do you like skating?"

Viktor's heart skipped a beat at the questions and he inhaled deeply before the little girl answered.

"Yes" She smiled. "We can come again?"

"Of course we can skate again" He hurried to say, feeling like he just found a playmate.

"But before that..." Yuuri cleared his throat. "I thought someone owes us some ice-cream" He grinned and soon Lola mirrored him, turning towards the older man. "Right?"

"Papa, you do!"

"Oh, is that true?" He teased before heading towards the edge of the rink, still holding her close and being followed closely by Yuuri.

"Yes!" She said, a little too loud and they both chuckled.

"Your wish is my command, my princess" He took her hand in his and brought it to his mouth to kiss it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dorogoya moya = my dear
> 
> Kotionok = kitten
> 
> Zvyozdochka = little star
> 
> Solnyshko = little sun
> 
> Lapochka = sweetie pie
> 
> Zaichik = bunny
> 
> So we finally reached the end! I am sure I will miss this story a lot and I hope you will miss it a bit too ^_^ It has been one h-e-l-l of a ride and I've enjoyed writing it a lot, just as much as I enjoyed reading your every comment. Thank you for the continuous support! I wish you well! x ヾ(๑╹ꇴ◠๑)ﾉ”

**Author's Note:**

> I am super nervous about this new story but I hope you enjoyed what you read so far and I can only promise that better chapters will follow. Aren't they adorable? Thank you for reading and have a wonderful day! xx Feel free to tell me what you think about it!


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